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JOHN  BUNYAN'S  DREAM  STORY 


THE    NAME    OF    THAT    CHAMBER    WAS    PEACE 
(See  page  60) 


JOHN  BUNYAN'S 

DREAM   STORY 

The  Pilgrim's  Progress 

Retold  for  Children  and  Adapted 

to  School  Reading 


BY 


JAMES   BALDWIN 


AMERICAN  BOOK   COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  CINCINNATI  CHICAGO 


Copyright,  1913,  by 
JAMES    BALDWIN. 


Copyright,  1913,  in  Great  Britain. 


DREAM   STORY. 
E.  P.        2 


SRLF 
URL 


FOREWORD 

OF  the  great  books  which  have  been  composed  or 
partly  written  in  prison,  the  Pilgrim's  Progress, 
by  John  Bunyan,  is  the  best  known  and  the  most  re- 
markable. Its  author  was  a  young  man  of  thirty-two 
when  he  was  thrown  into  the  common  jail  at  Bedford, 
England ;  he  was  past  forty-four  and  middle-aged 
when  he  was  released.  His  only  offense  against  the 
law  was  preaching  that  which  he  believed  to  be  true. 
The  dungeon  in  which  he  was  immured  was  so  vile 
that  the  worst  prisons  in  our  country  are  delightful 
places  when  compared  with  it.  But  here  John  Bunyan 
had  ample  time  to  think  and  to  put  his  thoughts  to- 
gether. His  education  was  of  the  poorest  sort,  and 
during  his  imprisonment  he  had  access  to  but  two 
volumes  —  the  Bible  and  Fox's  "  Book  of  Martyrs." 
As  he  thought  upon  the  great  problems  of  existence, 
the  idea  of  a  story  came,  little  by  little,  into  his  mind 
—  a  story  in  the  form  of  a  dream,  a  story  of  man's 
life  regarded  as  a  journey  or  pilgrimage. 

5 


6  FOREWORD 

By  and  by,  he  began  to  write  such  a  story.  He 
wrote  it  in  the  easy,  simple  language  of  the  common 
people,  and,  without  knowing  it,  produced  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  prose  poems  ever  written.  After  his 
release  from  prison  his  work  was  submitted  to  a 
printer  who  corrected  its  bad  spelling  and  most  of  its 
faulty  grammar,  and  in  1677  it  was  published. 

The  Pilgrim's  Progress  came  into  the  wTorld  very 
modestly;  but  the  charm  of  the  story  was  such  that, 
without  advertisement,  it  soon  grew  into  fame.  Edition 
after  edition  was  called  for,  and  wherever  the  English 
language  was  known  it  became  the  subject  of  daily 
talk  among  the  common  people.  For  two  hundred 
years  or  more  no  other  English  book  was  so  gen- 
erally known  and  read. 

No  other  book  of  modern  times  has  had  a  history 
so  remarkable  as  this  simple  story  "  in  the  similitude 
of  a  dream."  It  has  been  translated  into  eighty 
languages.  It  has  been  turned  into  verse.  It  has 
been  rewritten  in  scholarly  English.  It  has  been  imi- 
tated a  score  of  times  in  short-lived  books  whose 
very  titles  are  forgotten.  It  has  been  remodeled  and 
adapted  to  serve  the  most  remarkable  and  diverse 
purposes.    It  has  been  dramatized  and  presented  upon 


FOREWORD  7 

the  stage  as  a  beautiful  and  most  impressive  play. 
Notwithstanding  all  this,  however,  the  original  work, 
as  first  written  in  the  dialect  of  the  humble  people  of 
Bunyan's  own  time  and  station,  remains  unequaled 
and  unharmed. 

With  the  changed  conditions  of  life  in  our  own 
times  the  popularity  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  has 
greatly  waned.  While  it  was  formerly  the  first  and 
perhaps  the  only  story  book  read  b}^  thousands  of 
children  of  all  ages,  it  is  now  known  to  but  few  young 
people  except  by  name.  Its  distinctively  religious 
character  has  excluded  it  from  the  public  schools  and 
caused  it  to  remain  a  closed  book  to  the  majority  of 
twentieth-century  readers.  Tastes  have  changed,  and 
long  dialogues  and  disquisitions  on  faith  and  justifica- 
tion are  no  longer  interesting  or  agreeable. 

But  suppose  we  divest  the  story  of  some  of  those 
qualities  which  may  be  described  as  old-fashioned  and 
out  of  date  —  suppose  that,  retaining  its  essential 
peculiarities  of  style  and  diction,  we  repeat  it  without 
apparent  didactic  intent,  simply  as  a  pleasing  narra- 
tive—  and  John  Bunyan's  dream  story  becomes  a 
delightful  fairy  tale,  poetic  in  form  and  surpassingly 
interesting. 


8  FOREWORD 

Such  was  the  intent  with  which  the  preparation  of 
the  present  little  book  was  undertaken.  In  pursu- 
ing this  intent,  an  effort  has  been  made  to  relate 
the  story  in  a  manner  that  will  appeal  to  present- 
day  readers  simply  because  of  its  inherent  interest. 
Wherever  it  has  been  possible  within  the  limits  of  this 
plan,  the  words  of  Bunyan  have  been  retained,  and 
much  care  has  been  taken  to  preserve  as  far  as  possible 
the  quaint  and  beautiful  style  of  the  original.  Of 
course  much  abridgment  has  been  necessary ;  and, 
in  general,  whatever  the  modern  reader  would  be 
tempted  to  skip  has  been  left  out  or  rewritten. 

Thus  John  Bunyan's  dream  story  is  presented  to 
the  school  children  of  the  twentieth  century.  May  it 
prove  to  be  as  acceptable  to  them  as,  in  its  complete 
form,  the  Pilgrim's  Progress  was  pleasing  to  the 
simple-hearted  but  adult  readers  of  Bunyan's  own 
time. 


PROLOGUE 

WOULDST    thou    divert    thyself   from    melan- 
choly ? 
Wouldst  thou  be  pleasant,  yet  be  far  from  folly? 
Wouldst  thou  read  riddles  and  their  explanation, 
Or  else  be  drowned  in  thy  contemplation? 
Dost  thou  love  picking  meat?     Or,  wouldst  thou  see 
A  man  i'  the  clouds,  and  hear  him  speak  to  thee? 
Wouldst  thou  be  in  a  dream,  and  yet  not  sleep? 
Or  wouldst  thou  in  a  moment  laugh  and  weep  ? 
Wouldst  thou  lose  thyself  and  catch  no  harm, 
And  find  thyself  again  without  a  charm? 
Wouldst    read  thyself,   and  read  thou  knowest  not 

what, 
And  yet  know  whether  thou  art  blest  or  not, 
By  reading  the  same  lines?    Oh,  then  come  hither, 
And  lay  my  book,  thy  head,  and  heart  together. 

—  John  Bunyan. 


9 


THE 

PILGRIM'S   PROGRESS 

FROM  THIS  WORLD  TO  THAT  WHICH  IS  TO  COME 
In  the  Similitude  of  a  Dream 


THE    FIRST   PART 


11 


THE   DIVISIONS  OF  THE   FIRST  PART 


From  the  Author's  Apology  for  his  Book 

.       15 

Introductory  Paragraph     .... 

.       17 

The  Man  with  the  Burden 

.       19 

The  Slough  of  Despond     . 

.       22 

Worldly  Wiseman        .... 

.      27 

The  Wicket  Gate        .... 

.       35 

The  House  of  the  Interpreter 

.      40 

The  Lifting  of  the  Burden 

.       45 

Adventures  on  the  Road  . 

.      48 

The  House  Beautiful 

.       53 

The  Fight  with  Apollyon 

64 

The  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death 

68 

The  Man  Talkative    .... 

73 

Vanity  Fair 

78 

The  Fate  of  Mr.  By-ends 

87 

By-path  Meadow 

92 

Giant  Despair 

97 

The  Delectable  Mountains 

105 

The  Flatterer 

110 

The  Enchanted  Land 

115 

The  Land  of  Beulah 

118 

13 

14  THE   DIVISIONS   OF   THE   FIRST   PART 


PAGB 


The  River  of  Dread  .        .        .        .        .        •        •        .122 

The  End  of  the  Journey 125 

The  Conclusion 128 


FROM  THE  AUTHOR'S  APOLOGY  FOR 

HIS  BOOK 

WHEN  at  first  I  took  my  pen  in  hand 
Thus  for  to  write,  I  did  not  understand 
That  I  at  all  should  make  a  little  book 
In  such  a  mode.     Nay,  I  had  undertook 
To  make  another ;  which,  when  almost  done, 
Before  I  was  aware,  I  this  begun. 

And  thus  it  was  :  I,  writing  cf  the  way 
And  race  of  saints  in  this  our  gospel  day, 
Fell  suddenly  into  an  allegory 
About  their  journey,  and  the  way  to  glory, 
In  more  than  twenty  things  which  I  set  down. 
This  done,  I  twenty  more  had  in  my  crown; 
And  they  again  began  to  multiply 
Like  sparks  that  from  the  coals  of  fire  do  fly. 

.  .  .  But  yet  I  did  not  think 
To  show  to  all  the  world  my  pen  and  ink 
In  such  a  mode.     I  only  thought  to  make 
I  knew  not  what;  nor  did  I  undertake 

15 


16  AUTHOR'S   APOLOGY   FOR   HIS   BOOK 

Thereby  to  please  my  neighbor  —  no,  not  I ; 
I  did  it  my  own  self  to  gratify. 

.  .  .  Thus,  I  set  pen  to  paper  with  delight, 
And  quickly  had  my  thoughts  in  black  and  white; 
For  having  now  my  method  by  the  end, 
Still  as  I  pulled,  it  came;  and  so  I  penned 
It  down  until  it  came  at  last  to  be, 
For  length  and  breadth,  the  bigness  which  you  see. 

Well,  when  I  had  thus  put  mine  ends  together, 
I  showed  them  others,  that  I  might  see  whether 
They  would  condemn  them,  or  them  justify. 
And  some  said,  "  Let  them  live  "  ;  some,  "  Let  them 

die." 
Some  said,  "  John,  print  it "  ;  others  said,  "  Not  so." 
Some  said,  "  It  might  do  good  " ;  others  said,  "  No." 

Now  was  I  in  a  strait,  and  did  not  see 
Which  was  the  best  thing  to  be  done  by  me. 
At  last  I  thought,  "Since  you  are  thus  divided, 
I  print  it  will " ;  and  so  the  case  decided. 

—  John  Bunyan. 


As  I  walked  through  a  great  wilderness  I  came  to  a 
certain  place  where  there  was  a  Den,  and  I  laid  myself 
doivn  in  that  place  to  sleep :  and  as  I  slept  I  dreamed  a 
dream. 


1 


-V 


The  Man  with  the  Burden 
Id. 


THE   MAN  WITH   THE   BURDEN 

I  DREAMED;  and  I  thought  that  I  saw  in  my 
dream  a  man  standing  with  his  face  turned  away 
from  his  own  house.  He  was  clothed  in  rags,  a  book 
was  in  his  hand,  and  a  great  burden  was  on  his  back. 

Then  I  saw  him  open  the  book  and  read ;  and  as  he 
read,  he  wept  and  cried  out,  "What  shall  I  do?" 

By  and  by  he  turned  and  went  into  his  house.  His 
wife  and  children  saw  that  he  was  in  trouble,  and  they 
wondered  ;  but  he  kept  silent  for  a  long  time,  and  said 
not  a  word. 

At  last,  when  he  could  hold  in  no  longer,  he  said, 
"Dear  ones,  do  you  see  this  great  burden  that  is  on 
my  back?  It  is  so  heavy  that  I  can  hardly  bear  its 
weight." 

But  they  could  not  see  the  burden,  and  they  won- 

19 


20  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM   STORY 

dered  at  his  words.  "Dear  father,"  they  said,  "you 
are  very  tired.  When  you  have  slept  and  are  rested 
you  will  feel  much  better." 

"Ah,  no,"  he  answered;  "it  is  not  sleep  that  will 
relieve  me.  For  this  book  says  that  the  city  in  which 
we  live  will  surely  be  burned  with  fire ;  and  unless  we 
escape  from  it  soon,  we  shall  all  perish.  Do  you  won- 
der that  I  am  distressed  ?" 

They  looked  at  him  sorrowfully;  for  they  feared 
that  he  had  lost  his  mind.  Then  they  persuaded  him 
to  lie  down.  But  he  could  not  sleep.  All  night  long 
he  tossed  upon  his  bed  groaning  and  weeping. 

Very  early  in  the  morning  he  arose.  His  children 
came  to  him  and  said,  "Dear  father,  how  do  you  feel 
after  your  night's  rest?" 

"Worse  and  worse,"  he  answered.  "There  is  no 
rest  for  me  while  this  heavy  burden  is  on  my  back." 

"We  cannot  see  any  burden,"  said  his  wife.  "You 
are  surely  losing  your  mind." 

The  man  looked  at  her  sadly  and  then  went  out  into 
the  fields.  There  he  walked  back  and  forth  all  day, 
sometimes  reading  from  his  book  and  sometimes  weep- 
ing most  bitterly. 

"What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?"  he  cried;  and  he 


THE  MAN  WITH  THE  BURDEN         21 

looked  this  way  and  that  as  if  he  would  run.  But  he 
did  not  know  which  way  to  go. 

At  length  an  old  man,  with  long  white  beard  and  a 
gentle  face,  came  that  way  and  saw  him  weeping. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  the  stranger,  whose 
name  was  Evangelist.     "Why  are  you  crying?" 

"Oh,  sir,"  answered  the  man,  "this  book  which  I 
have  in  my  hand  tells  me  that  unless  I  get  rid  of  this 
heavy  burden  I  shall  surely  die." 

"Then  why  do  you  stand  here?"  asked  Evangelist. 
"Why  don't  you  go  and  get  rid  of  it?" 

"Because  I  don't  know  which  way  to  go,"  said  the 
man,  still  weeping. 

Then  Evangelist  pointed  with  his  finger  towards 
the  blue  hills  far,  far  away. 

"Look  !"  he  said.     "Do  you  see  that  wicket  gate?" 

"No." 

"Then  do  you  see  a  shining  light  yonder  in  the  dis- 
tance?" 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do." 

"Well,  then,  keep  that  light  always  in  view.  Go 
straight  towards  it,  and  by  and  by  you  can  see  the 
wicket  gate.  When  you  have  come  to  the  gate,  knock, 
and  the  one  who  keeps  it  will  tell  you  what  to  do." 


THE  SLOUGH   OF  DESPOND 


THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  man  thanked 
Evangelist  and  began  to  run. 

His  wife  and  children,  who  were  watching  him,  cried 
out  to  him  to  stop.  "Come  back,  father,"  they  called. 
"Come  back  and  stay  with  us." 

But  he  would  not  listen.  He  ran  on,  keeping  his 
face  towards  the  far-away  hills  and  never  losing  sight 
of  the  shining  light. 

His  neighbors  saw  him  running,  and  they  wondered 
what  could  ail  him.  Some  pitied,  and  said,  "He  is 
mad."  Some  laughed,  and  said,  "He  is  a  fool." 
Others  called  out  loudly,  "Come  back  !    Come  back  !" 

Two  of  his  friends,  whose  names  were  Obstinate  and 
Pliable,  ran  after  him.  And,  as  they  were  light  of  foot, 
they  soon  overtook  him. 

22 


THE   SLOUGH   OF   DESPOND  23 

"My  friends,"  he  said,  "why  do  you  run  after  me?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  one  whose  name  was  Obstinate,  "we 
are  going  to  take  you  back  home." 

"No  you  will  not,"  answered  the  runner.  "I  will 
not  go  back  to  that  City  of  Destruction.  I  have  started 
to  a  far  better  place,  and  I  would  like  to  persuade  you 
to  go  with  me." 

"And  leave  all  our  friends  and  comforts  behind 
us?"  said  Obstinate. 

"Certainly,"  answered  Graceless,  for  that  was  the 
man's  name.  "For  my  book  tells  me  that  in  the 
glorious  city  which  lies  beyond  those  far-away  moun- 
tains I  shall  find  treasures  much  richer  than  those  I 
am  leaving  behind." 

"Oh,  nonsense!"  said  Obstinate.  "Who  has  ever 
seen  that  city?  Will  you  go  back  with  us?  Or  will 
you  still  behave  like  a  fool  ?" 

"Have  a  care,  neighbor,"  said  the  other  man,  whose 
name  was  Pliable.  "Perhaps  he  is  right ;  and  if  so,  he 
is  wiser  than  we.  I  have  heard  of  that  Celestial  City, 
and  I  have  half  a  mind  to  go  with  him." 

'Then  go,  if  you  wish,"  answered  Obstinate.  "I 
shall  return  to  my  own  place.  I'll  have  nothing  to 
do  with  such  foolish  fellows." 


24  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

So  he  turned  and  went  back;  and  Graceless  and 
Pliable  ran  on  together  across  the  plain. 

"I  am  glad  you  are  going  with  me,"  said  Graceless. 

"And  I  am  glad  to  be  your  companion,"  said  Pliable. 

Then  they  talked  as  they  ran ;  and  Graceless  told 
Pliable  many  wonderful  things  about  the  Celestial 
City  towards  which  they  were  going.  But  the  burden 
that  was  on  his  back  bore  heavily  upon  him,  and  he 
soon  became  weary.  "Dear  Pliable,"  he  said,  "I  can- 
not go  so  fast.  The  way  grows  rougher,  and  this 
burden  is  hard  to  carry. " 

So  they  went  on  more  slowly,  but  they  kept  their 
faces  turned  always  towards  the  shining  light  and  the 
distant  mountains. 

Soon  they  came  to  a  great  bog  that  seemed  to  fill  the 
whole  plain  before  them.  It  was  called  the  Slough  of 
Despond,  and  it  was  so  deep  with  mire  that  no  one  had 
ever  been  able  to  build  a  road  across  it.  But  it  looked 
so  much  like  the  solid  ground  that  Graceless  and  Pli- 
able fell  into  it  before  they  were  aware,  and  were  soon 
waist  deep  in  the  mud. 

"Dear  Pliable,  I  am  sinking  still  deeper,"  cried 
Graceless.     "This  burden  is  pressing  me  down." 

"That  proves  that  all  you  have  been  telling  me  is  a 


THE   SLOUGH   OF  DESPOND  25 

mistake,"  said  Pliable.  "If  the  road  to  the  Celestial 
City  is  like  this,  I  want  no  more  of  it." 

Then  with  a  desperate  struggle  he  managed  to 
climb  out  of  the  bog  at  the  place  where  he  had  fallen  in. 
He  was  covered  with  mire,  and  very,  very  angry ;  and 
without  trying  to  help  his  companion,  or  stopping  to  tell 
him  good-by,  he  strode  hastily  back  toward  his  home. 

Graceless  was  left  to  struggle  alone  in  the  Slough  of 
Despond.  But  he  kept  his  face  turned  toward  the 
distant  hills,  and  even  while  floundering  in  the  mire  he 
now  and  then  caught  glimpses  of  the  shining  light. 

By  and  by,  he  reached  the  farther  side;  but  there 
the  mire  was  deep,  and  his  burden  was  so  heavy  that 
he  could  not  climb  out.  For  a  long  time  he  struggled 
there,  but  scarcely  was  he  able  to  keep  himself  from 
sinking  entirely  in  the  dreadful  mire. 

At  length,  when  his  strength  was  almost  gone,  a 
man  who  heard  his  cries  came  down  to  the  edge  of  the 
bog  to  look  at  him.  This  man's  face  was  pleasant  to 
see,  and  his  arms  were  strong.     His  name  was  Help. 

"How  did  you  get  into  this  bog?"  he  asked. 

"I  was  on  my  way  to  yonder  wicket  gate,"  answered 
Graceless;    "and  before  I  saw  my  danger  I  fell  in." 

"Give  me  your  hand,"  said  Help. 


26  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

Graceless  did  so,  and  Help  lifted  him  out  of  the 
mire  and  set  his  feet  on  solid  ground. 

"Now  take  courage,"  he  said,  "and  go  straight 
onward  to  the  wicket  gate." 

"  I  thank  you,"  said  Graceless.  "Now  I  feel  stronger 
than  before ;  and  although  this  burden  is  still  heavy, 
I  will  persevere." 

And  with  that,  he  went  on,  keeping  his  face  turned 
always  toward  the  shining  light. 


WORLDLY  WISEMAN 

THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Pliable  went  with  all 
speed  back  to  his  own  house.  When  his  neighbors 
heard  that  he  had  returned,  they  went  to  visit  him. 
They  asked  him  all  sorts  of  questions  about  his  little 
journey,  and  he  answered  them  truly. 

'Well,  I  think  you  were  very  wise  to  come  back 
home  so  quickly,"  said  the  first  neighbor. 

"You  are  not  to  be  pitied.  You  were  a  fool  for 
having  anything  to  do  with  that  man  Graceless,"  said 
the  second  neighbor. 

"But  you  showed  yourself  a  great  coward,"  said  the 
third  neighbor.  "A  man  who  undertakes  a  journey 
and  then  gives  it  up  as  soon  as  the  road  becomes  rough 
is  not  to  be  depended  upon  in  time  of  need." 

Poor  Pliable  at  first  hung  his  head  in  shame.     But 


28  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM  STORY 

when  they  began  to  tell  stories  about  Graceless,  and  to 
laugh  at  what  they  called  his  folly,  he  joined  them  and 
laughed  as  loudly  as  the  rest. 

And  there  let  us  leave  him. 

For  Graceless  was  still  walking  onward,  and  now  and 
then  he  caught  glimpses  of  the  wicket  gate,  standing, 
white  and  bright,  at  the  entrance  to  a  mountain  pass. 
But  his  burden  was  now  so  heavy  that  his  going  was 
very  slow,  and  at  every  step  he  groaned  with  weariness. 

By  and  by  he  came  to  a  crossroad,  and  there  a 
stranger  met  him.  The  man  smiled  when  he  saw 
Graceless,  and  spoke  to  him  in  a  very  pleasant  manner. 

"How  now,  my  good  fellow,  where  are  you  going?" 
he  said.  "And  what  are  you  doing  with  that  big 
burden  on  your  back?" 

Graceless  told  him  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  the 
wicket  gate,  and  that  he  hoped  when  he  reached  it  to 
be  shown  how  to  get  rid  of  his  burden. 

"Well,"  said  the  stranger,  "I  have  spent  many  years 
in  study,  and  my  neighbors  call  me  Worldly  Wiseman 
because  of  my  wisdom.  Will  you  listen  to  me  if  I  give 
you  some  advice?" 

"Certainly,"  said  Graceless;  "for  I  need  good 
counsel." 


WORLDLY  WISEMAN  29 

"Well,  then,  I  advise  you  to  get  rid  of  that  burden 
as  soon  as  possible,"  said  Wiseman. 

"That  is  just  what  I  wish  to  do,"  answered  Graceless. 
"  But  I  cannot  take  it  off  myself,  and  there  is  no  man  in 
our  country  who  can  remove  it.  And  that  is  why  I  am 
going  to  the  wicket  gate." 

"Who  told  you  to  go  there?" 

"A  good  man  who  seemed  to  me  very  gentle  and  lov- 
ing.    His  name  is  Evangelist." 

Worldly  Wiseman  laughed.  "He  is  a  fine  fellow, 
indeed,  to  be  giving  advice  to  others,"  he  said.  "Why, 
he  knows  nothing  at  all,  and  yet  he  pretends  to  know 
everything." 

"  Well,  I  felt  sure  that  he  knew  how  I  might  get  rid 
of  this  burden,"  answered  Graceless.  "He  showed 
me  this  road." 

"And  a  pretty  road  it  is,"  sneered  Mr.  Wiseman. 
"There  is  not  a  more  dangerous  way  in  all  the  world. 
You  have  already  met  with  some  of  its  difficulties ;  for 
I  see  that  the  mud  of  the  Slough  of  Despond  is  upon 
you." 

"Yes,  and  I  came  near  being  buried  in  its  mire," 
said  Graceless. 

"Well,  if  you  keep  on  in  that  same  road,  you  will 


30  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM  STORY 

meet  with  many  worse  things :  hunger  and  cold,  lions, 
dragons,  darkness,  and  death.  Take  my  advice,  and 
don't  cast  your  life  away  so  foolishly,"  said  Mr.  Wise- 
man. 

"Sir,"  answered  Graceless,  "this  burden  is  so  terrible 
to  me  that  I  am  willing  to  face  all  sorts  of  dangers  if 
only  I  can  be  delivered  from  it." 

"  How  came  you  to  get  the  burden  in  the  first  place  ?  " 

"By  reading  this  book  that  I  have  in  my  hand." 

"  I  thought  so.  That  book  has  filled  many  a  man's 
mind  with  foolish  notions  about  things  of  which  we 
know  nothing." 

"Well,  I  know  one  thing.  I  know  that  I  would  like 
to  be  eased  from  this  burden." 

Worldly  Wiseman  took  Graceless  by  the  hand,  and 
spoke  to  him  very  gently. 

"  Do  you  see  yonder  village  at  the  farther  end  of  this 
broad  road  ?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  I  see  it,"  answered  Graceless. 

"Well,  the  name  of  that  village  is  Morality,"  said 
Mr.  Wiseman.  "I  have  lived  there  for  many  years, 
and  it  is  a  very  pleasant  place,  indeed.  There  is  a 
lawyer  there,  a  near  neighbor  of  mine,  who  knows  all 
about  burdens  of  every  kind.     His  name  is  Legality, 


WORLDLY   WISEMAN  31 

and  I  would  advise  you  to  go  and  see  him  at 
once." 

"Are  you  sure  that  he  can  remove  this  burden  of 
mine?"  asked  Graceless. 

"Most  certainly  he  can,"  answered  Mr.  Wiseman; 
"and  he  will  do  much  more.  He  will  put  you  in  the  way 
of  getting  a  home  for  yourself  in  our  village.  Then 
you  may  send  for  your  wife  and  children,  and  live  hap- 
pily among  honest  neighbors  all  the  rest  of  your  life." 

"Oh,  how  delightful  that  would  be  !"  cried  Graceless. 

"It  would  certainly  be  better  than  trying  to  reach 
that  wicket  gate,"  said  Mr.  Wiseman. 

"I  think  so,  too,"  said  Graceless.  "Please  show  me 
the  way  to  that  honest  lawyer's  house." 

"  Do  you  see  yonder  high  hill  ?"  asked  Mr.  Wiseman. 

"Yes,  I  see  it  very  well." 

"Then  follow  the  road  which  leads  by  that  hill.  The 
first  house  you  come  to  is  the  house  of  Mr.  Legality." 

Graceless  thanked  him  and  bade  him  good-by. 
Then  he  turned  into  the  broad  road  on  his  left,  and 
walked  as  fast  as  his  burden  would  let  him  towards 
the  hill  which  had  been  pointed  out  to  him.  It  was 
not  more  than  a  mile  away,  and  he  soon  found  himself 
at  its  foot.  • 


32  JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

But  what  a  fearful  hill  it  was !  It  was  now  a  great 
mountain,  and  it  seemed  to  hang  right  over  the  road, 
and  Graceless  feared  every  moment  that  it  would 
topple  over  upon  him.  He  stood  still  and  trembled. 
There  was  no  house  in  sight,  no  shelter  of  any  kind. 
The  earth  shook;  flashes  of  fire  came  out  of  the 
mountain ;   he  knew  not  which  way  to  go. 

"Oh,  that  I  had  not  listened  to  the  words  of  Worldly 
Wiseman  !"  he  cried. 

Then,  as  he  lifted  his  eyes,  whom  did  he  see  but 
Evangelist  coming  to  meet  him. 

"What  are  you  doing  here,  my  friend?"  asked  the 
good  man. 

Graceless  could  not  say  a  word. 

"Are  you  not  the  man  whom  I  found  crying  in  the 
field  by  the  City  of  Destruction  ?  And  didn't  I  show 
you  the  way  to  the  wicket  gate?"  asked  Evangelist. 

"Yes,  dear  sir,  you  showed  me  the  way,"  answered 
the  poor  man. 

"Then  how  is  it  that  I  find  you  here  ?"  asked  Evan- 
gelist. 

Graceless  told  him  how  he  had  met  Mr.  Worldly 
Wiseman  at  the  crossing  of  the  roads,  and  how  he  had 
been  persuaded  to  seek  the  house  of  the  lawyer  Legality. 


WORLDLY   WIS  KM  AX  33 

And  when  he  had  finished,  he  cried,  "Woe  is  me  now, 
for  I  am  undone !" 

But  Evangelist  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"This  Worldly  Wiseman,  who  pretended  to  be  so 
friendly  to  you,  had  no  desire  to  help  you.  On  the 
contrary,  he  wished  only  to  turn  you  out  of  the  way 
and  send  you  to  destruction.  For  that  reason  he 
advised  you  to  go  to  Mr.  Legality,  who  has  no  power 
whatever  to  remove  your  burden." 

"Alas !  alas  I"  cried  Graceless,  "I  see  now  my  error. 
I  ought  not  to  have  listened  to  that  man.  I  ought  not 
to  have  turned  off  from  the  straight  way  which  leads 
toward  the  shining  light." 

"Surely  you  did  very  wrong,"  answered  Evangelist, 
"and  you  deserve  to  suffer  for  your  folly." 

Then  there  was  a  great  rumbling  in  the  earth,  as 
though  words  were  coming  from  it;  fire  flashed  from 
the  crevices  in  the  rocks;  and  the  mountain  shook 
from  top  to  bottom. 

Graceless  expected  nothing  but  death.  But  seeing 
the  gentle  face  of  Evangelist,  he  took  courage. 

"  Sir,"  he  asked,  "  is  there  no  hope  ?  Is  there  no  way 
of  escape  ?  May  I  not  be  forgiven  ?  And  may  I  not 
return  and  go  up  to  the  wicket  gate?" 

DREAM    STORY 3 


34  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

Evangelist  answered  him  very  kindly,  "Yes,  if  you 
are  truly  sorry  for  your  error,  you  may  again  seek  the 
true  way.  The  man  at  the  gate  will  receive  you,  for 
he  has  good  will  for  all  men." 

"Then  I  will  go  back,"  said  Graceless. 

Evangelist  kissed  him,  gave  him  one  smile,  and 
bade  him  Godspeed. 

And  Graceless  went  on  with  haste,  and  spoke  to  no 
man  by  the  way. 


THE  WICKET   GATE 


THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  man  Graceless 
came,   by   and    by,  to  the  wicket   gate.    Now, 
over  the  gate  there  was  written, 

KNOCK,   AND   IT  SHALL  BE  OPENED  UNTO  YOU 
So  he  knocked,  more  than  once  or  twice.     And  as  he 
knocked  he  kept  saying  to  himself,  "May  I  now  enter? 
Will  he  that  is  within  open  to  sorry  me?" 

By  and  by  there  came  to  the  gate  a  man  with  a 
grave  but  kindly  face,  whose  name  was  Good-will.  He 
looked  out,  and  when  he  saw  a  stranger  standing 
there,  he  asked,  "Who  are  you?  And  what  do  you 
wish?" 

"I  am  a  man  with  a  burden,"  answered  Graceless. 
"I  have  come  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  and  am 
going  on  towards  the  mountains  and  the  shining  light, 

35 


36  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

where  I  hope  to  be  delivered.  I  have  been  told  that  the 
way  lies  through  this  gate ;  therefore,  I  ask  if  you  are 
willing  to  let  me  in." 

"I  am  willing  with  all  my  heart,"  said  Good-will; 
and  with  that  he  opened  the  gate. 

Graceless  stepped  in,  but  not  fast  enough  for  Good- 
will, who  took  him  by  the  arm  and  pulled  him  quickly. 

"Why  did  you  do  that?"  asked  the  man. 

Then  Good-will  told  him  that  there  was  a  castle  full 
of  wicked  giants  on  the  hillside  near  by,  and  that  often 
when  these  giants  saw  a  man  about  to  enter  the  wicket 
gate  they  would  shoot  at  him  with  their  arrows.  In 
this  way  many  persons  had  been  killed  before  they 
could  enter  in. 

"How  glad  I  am  that  I  am  here!"  said  Graceless; 
''and  yet  I  tremble  from  the  dangers  I  have  passed 
through  !" 

"Who  sent  you  here?"  asked  Good-will. 

"A  good  man,  called  Evangelist,"  was  the  answer. 
"  He  told  me  to.  knock,  and  he  said  that  you  would  show 
me  what  to  do  to  be  delivered  from  this  heavy  burden." 

"Why  did  you  come  alone?"  asked  Good-will. 

"  Because  none  of  my  neighbors  would  come.  They 
did  not  see  their  danger  as  I  saw  mine." 


THE  WICKET   GATE  37 

"Did  any  one  know  of  your  coming?" 

"Oh,  yes.  My  wife  and  children  saw  me  start,  and 
they  called  after  me  to  come  back.  Some  of  my  friends 
saw  me  and  followed  me  a  little  way." 

"And  did  you  come  straight  hither?" 

"Alas,  no !  For  I  listened  to  the  words  of  Mr. 
Worldly  Wiseman  and  was  persuaded  to  turn  aside 
into  a  dangerous  way." 

"Oh,  did  he  meet  you?  And  I  suppose  he  advised 
you  to  seek  ease  from  Mr.  Legality,  did  he  not?" 

"He  did,"  answered  Graceless,  "and  I  foolishly 
listened  to  his  advice." 

"Well,  Mr.  Wiseman  is  a  cheat,  and  so  is  Mr.  Le- 
gality," said  Good-will.     "  What  did  Mr.  Legality  say  ?  " 

"I  went  by  the  broad  road  to  find  him,"  said  Grace- 
less; "but  the  mountain  which  stands  by  his  house 
was  about  to  fall  upon  me,  and  I  was  forced  to  stop." 

"That  mountain  has  been  the  death  of  many,  and  it 
was  lucky  that  you  escaped,"  said  Good-will. 

"Indeed,  I  should  have  perished  had  not  Evangelist 
met  me  there.  He  turned  my  feet  again  into  the  nar- 
row way,  and  my  face  toward  the  shining  light.  And 
now  I  am  come,  unworthy  as  I  am,  into  this  place. 
How  kind  you  were  to  open  the  gate  for  me  !" 


38  JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 


it- 


rWe  refuse  none  who  come  and  knock.  Therefore, 
come  with  me,  and  I  will  teach  you  that  which  you  need 
most  to  know.  But  first  I  will  give  you  a  new  name. 
You  shall  no  longer  be  called  Graceless  but  Christian, 
for  you  are  now  a  pilgrim  on  the  road  to  the  Celes- 
tial Land." 

"Oh,  tell  me  about  that  road,"  said  Christian. 

"Look  before  you,"  answered  Good-will.  "See  that 
narrow  highway.  It  was  cast  up  and  built  by  the 
great  and  good  men  of  old.  It  is  the  way  by  which  you 
must  go." 

"I  see  it,"  answered  Christian;  "but  are  there  no 
windings  in  it  by  which  one  might  lose  his  way  ?" 

"Not  in  the  way  itself,"  answered  Good-will;  "but 
there  are  many  crooks  and  turnings  which  join  on  to 
it  at  different  places.  You  may  always  know  the  right 
way,  for  it  is  never  any  other  than  straight  and  narrow." 

"This  burden  on  my  back  is  very  grievous,"  said 
Christian.  "Can  you  not  in  some  way  help  me  to  get 
rid  of  it?" 

"Be  content  to  bear  your  burden  yet  a  little  while," 
answered  Good-will.  "You  will  come,  by  and  by,  to 
the  place  of  deliverance ;  and  there  it  will  fall  from  your 
back  of  itself." 


THE    WICKET   GATE  39 

"Very  well,  then,"  said  Christian,  "I  will  go  for- 
ward on  my  journey." 

"Go,"  said  Good-will,  "and  you  will  soon  see  a 
beautiful  house  by  the  roadside.  It  is  the  house  of  the 
Interpreter.  Knock  at  the  door,  and  he  will  open  and 
bid  you  enter.  Tell  him  your  name  and  whither  you 
are  going,  and  he  will  show  you  many  excellent  things." 

So  Christian  bade  his  friend  farewell,  and  joyfully 
renewed  his  journey. 


THE   HOUSE   OF  THE   INTERPRETER 

THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  went  on 
until  he  came  to  the  house  of  the  Interpreter. 

There  he  knocked  again  and  again ;  and  at  last  one 
came  to  the  door  and  asked  who  was  there. 

Christian  answered  that  he  was  a  traveler  who  was 
on  his  way  to  the  Celestial  City,  and  that  he  wished  to 
see  the  master  of  the  house. 

Then  the  Interpreter  himself  came  to  the  door  and 
said,  "Come  in.  I  will  show  you  some  things  that 
will  be  helpful  to  you  on  your  journey." 

So  Christian  went  in  and  stood  waiting.  Then 
the  Interpreter  took  a  lighted  candle  and  bade  him 
follow  into  the  next  room.  And  there  the  good  man 
showed  the  pilgrim  wonderful  portraits  and  moving 
pictures,  each  one  of  which  taught  its  lesson  of  truth. 

40 


THE   HOUSE   OF  THE    INTERPRETER  41 

In  one  of  these  pictures  two  children  were  shown 
whose  names  were  Passion  and  Patience.  Passion  was 
always  restless  and  dissatisfied  ;  but  Patience  was  very 
quiet  and  contented. 

As  Christian  looked  at  the  picture  he  saw  a  man 
bring  a  bag  of  gold  and  pour  out  the  treasure  at  Pas- 
sion's feet.  The  child  was  very  glad  and  seized  the 
gold  with  his  hands.  He  laughed  at  Patience,  and  re- 
joiced in  his  treasure.  But  soon  it  melted  away, 
and  he  had  nothing  left  but  rags. 

Christian  asked  the  Interpreter  the  meaning  of  this 
picture. 

"I  will  tell  you,"  he  answered.  "As  the  treasure 
of  the  child  Passion  vanished  and  left  him  nothing 
but  rags,  so  shall  it  be  with  the  men  of  this  world  who 
desire  to  have  all  their  good  things  now." 

"Yes,"  said  Christian,  "I  see  that  Patience  was 
wiser  than  Passion,  for  he  was  contented  to  wait." 

"You  are  right,"  answered  the  Interpreter;  "for  he 
waits  for  the  best  things,  and  in  due  time  will  be  re- 
warded." 

Thus  Christian  was  led  from  room  to  room,  and  in 
each  he  was  shown  some  picture  or  other  wonderful 
object;   and  the  Interpreter  explained  the  meaning  of 


42  JOHN   BUN  YAK'S   DREAM   STORY 

everything  that  he  saw.  At  last  he  was  taken  into  a 
very  dark  room,  where  he  saw  a  man  sitting  in  a  cage. 

The  man  seemed  very  sad.  He  sat  with  his  eyes 
looking  down  to  the  ground.  His  hands  were  folded, 
and  he  sighed  as  though  his  heart  would  break. 

"My  friend,"  said  Christian,  "who  are  you?" 

"I  am  not  what  I  once  was,"  answered  the  man. 

"Well,  then,  what  were  you  once?"  asked  Christian. 

The  man  answered,  "  I  was  once  a  happy  man,  with 
bright  prospects  in  life.  I  had  even  a  joyful  hope  of 
going  to  the  Celestial  City." 

"And  what  are  you  now?"  asked  Christian. 

"I  am  a  man  without  hope,"  was  the  answer.  "I 
am  shut  up  in  the  iron  cage  of  despair.  For  when  I 
might  have  done  well,  I  neglected  my  duty  and  wasted 
my  opportunities." 

Then  said  the  Interpreter  to  Christian,  "Let  this 
man's  misery  be  a  warning  to  you,  my  friend." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  Christian.  "May  God  help  me 
to  watch  and  be  sober.  But,  sir,  is  it  not  time  that  I 
should   be  going?" 

"Tarry  till  I  show  you  one  thing  more,"  said  the 
Interpreter. 

So  he  took  Christian  by  the  hand  and  led  him  into 


THE   HOUSE   OF  THE    INTERPRETER  43 

a  chamber  where  there  was  a  man  rising  quickly  out  of 
bed.  The  man's  face  was  white  with  fear  and  he 
trembled    and    shook. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Christian.  "Why  are 
you  afraid?" 

"Oh,  I  have  had  such  a  terrible  dream,"  answered 
the  man.  "  I  thought  that  the  heavens  were  black  with 
storm  clouds,  and  that  the  thunder  and  lightning  were 
most  fearful.  Then,  as  the  clouds  parted,  I  saw  One 
sitting  among  them,  with  the  thousands  of  heaven 
around  him ;  and  all  were  clothed  in  garments  of  fire. 

"A  trumpet  sounded,  and  a  voice  cried,  'Arise  all 
ye,  and  come  to  judgment ! ' 

"With  that,  the  rocks  were  rent,  and  the  earth  was 
opened,  and  all  who  had  ever  lived  came  forth.  Some 
of  these  were  very  glad,  and  looked  upward  ;  and  some 
sought  to  hide  themselves  under  the  mountains. 

"Then  He  that  sat  among  the  clouds  opened  a  book, 
and  bade  all  to  draw  near  and  be  judged.  Thereupon, 
I  sought  to  hide  myself,  but  could  not ;  for  the  eyes  of 
the  Judge  were  upon  me,  and  my  conscience  accused 
me  on  every  side." 

"But  what  was  it  that  made  you  so  afraid  of  this 
sight?"  asked  Christian. 


44  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

"Why,"  answered  the  man,  "I  thought  that  the 
day  of  judgment  was  come,  and  that  I  was  not  ready 
for  it.  My  conscience  afflicted  me,  and  I  thought  that 
the  Judge  had  always  his  eye  upon  me." 

Then  the  Interpreter  led  Christian  away.  "Have 
you  considered  all  these  things?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  and  they  put  me  in  fear  and  hope,"  answered 
Christian. 

So  he  rested  for  a  short  time  in  this  wonderful  house 
of  the  Interpreter.  But  he  would  not  tarry  long,  for 
he  was  impatient  to  go  on  his  way. 

"I  am  thankful  to  you,  0  good  Interpreter,"  he  said ; 
"for  you  have  shown  me  many  things  that  are  both 
rare  and  profitable." 

"May  the  Comforter  be  always  with  thee,  to  guide 
thee  in  the  way  that  leads  to  the  City,"  said  the  In- 
terpreter. 

So  Christian,  with  a  lighter  heart,  renewed  his  journey. 


THE  LIFTING  OF  THE   BURDEN 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  went  on 
slowly  and  with  great  difficulty.  For  the  road 
was  steep,  and  the  burden  on  his  back  was  very  heavy. 

But  he  toiled  on  until  he  came  to  a  hill  upon  which 
there  was  a  cross ;  and  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  there  was 
a  sepulcher.  So,  as  he  climbed  the  hill  and  came  up  to 
the  cross,  behold,  his  burden  fell  from  his  shoulders 
and  began  to  tumble ;  and  it  rolled  downward  till  it 
came  to  the  mouth  of  the  sepulcher,  where  it  fell  in, 
and  I  saw  it  no  more. 

Oh,  how  merry  of  heart  was  Christian  then.  He 
stood  for  a  while  to  look  and  wonder ;  for  it  seemed 
very  strange  that  the  sight  of  the  cross  should  thus  ease 
him  from  his  burden. 

45 


The  Three  Shining   Ones 
46 


THE   LIFTING   OF  THE  BURDEN  47 

And  as  he  wondered  and  wept,  he  saw  three  Shining 
Ones,  who  saluted  him  and  said,  "Peace  be  to  thee." 

The  first  said  to  him,  "  I  give  thee  a  pure  heart." 

The  second  stripped  him  of  his  rags  and  clothed  him 
in  beautiful  garments. 

The  third  set  a  mark  on  his  forehead,  and  gave  him 
a  little  book  with  a  seal  upon  it.  "  Keep  this  book  with 
care,"  he  said,  "and  read  in  it  often  as  you  journey  on- 
ward. When  you  come  to  the  Celestial  City,  show  it 
to  the  keeper  of  the  gate ;  it  shall  be  your  passport." 

So  the  Shining  Ones  vanished  from  sight.  And 
Christian  was  so  filled  with  joy  that  he  leaped  three 
times  into  the  air  and  then  went  on,  singing,  — 

"Thus  far  did  I  come 

With  my  burden  of  sin, 
And  nothing  could  ease 

The  grief  I  was  in. 
But  when  I  came  hither 

The  burden  I  lost ; 
And  I  found  peace  and  joy 

At  the  foot  of  the  cross." 


ADVENTURES  ON  THE   ROAD 

rilHEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  as  Christian  was 
J-  going  joyfully  on  his  way  he  came  to  a  pleasant 
valley.  And  there  he  saw,  a  little  way  from  the  road, 
three  men  who  were  lying  fast  asleep  on  the  brink  of  a 
precipice.  They  had  fetters  upon  their  heels,  and  their 
names  were  Simple,  Sloth,  and  Presumption. 

Christian  went  toward  them,  and  cried  out  to  awaken 
them.  "Ho,  there,  you  sleepers  !  Wake  up,  and  come 
away  from  that  dangerous  place!" 

But  they  only  groaned  and  settled  themselves  for  a 
deeper  sleep. 

"Wake  up!  wake  up!"  cried  Christian  again. 
"Wake  up,  and  I  will  help  you  off  with  your  fetters." 

They  opened  their  eyes  and  looked  at  him. 

"  I  don't  see  any  danger,"  said  Simple. 

48 


ADVENTURES   ON   THE   ROAD  49 

"Let  me  sleep  a  little  longer,"  said  Sloth. 

"Every  tub  must  stand  upon  its  own  bottom,"  said 
Presumption. 

Then  all  went  to  sleep  more  soundly  than  before,  and 
Chnstian  went  on  his  way. 

He  had  not  gone  far  when  he  saw  two  climbing  over 
the  wall  from  the  field  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road. 
As  he  came  up,  they  joined  him,  and  the  three  walked 
on  together. 

"Gentlemen,"  said  Christian,  "who  are  you,  and 
whither  are  you  going?" 

One  of  them,  who  had  a  very  soft  voice  and  a  goody- 
goody  countenance,  answered,  "My  name  is  Hypocrisy, 
and  I  am  from  the  land  of  Vainglory." 

"And  my  name,"  said  the  other,  "is  Formalist.  We 
two  are  close  friends  and  companions,  and  we  are  on 
our  way  to  the  Celestial  City." 

"Why  didn't  you  come  in  by  the  gate?"  asked 
Christian. 

"The  gate?"  answered  Hypocrisy.  "What  is 
the  use  of  going  round  by  the  gate,  when  one  can 
make  a  short  cut  across  the  fields,  and  jump  over  the 
wall?" 

"But  it  is  written  in  this  book,"   said   Christian, 

DREAM    STORY  —  4 


50  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"that  he  that  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is 
a  thief  and  a  robber." 

"Oh,  you  needn't  call  us  names,"  answered  Forma- 
list. "It  has  been  the  practice  a  thousand  years  for 
people  to  climb  over  the  wall  just  as  we  have  done." 

"Well,"  said  Christian,  "I  doubt  if  your  practice 
will  stand  the  test  of  trial." 

"What  of  that?"  asked  Hypocrisy.  "You  are  on 
the  road  to  the  Celestial  City ;  we  are  on  the  same  road. 
Are  we  not  as  far  along  on  the  way  as  you  ?" 

"We  shall  see  whether  you  are  found  true  men  at 
the  end  of  the  way,"  answered  Christian. 

"Well,"  said  Formalist,  "you  are  no  better  than  we, 
even  if  you  do  wear  finer  garments." 

"These  garments,"  said  Christian,  "were  given  to  me 
by  the  Lord  of  the  place  to  which  I  am  going.  Surely 
they  are  a  token  of  his  kindness,  for  I  had  only  rags 
before.  And  when  I  get  to  the  city  he  will  know  me, 
for  I  shall  be  clothed  in  his  garments." 

To  this  the  men  made  no  answer.  They  only  looked 
at  each  other  and  laughed ;  and  Christian  walked  on 
ahead  of  them. 

So  they  all  went  on  until  they  came  to  a  very  high  and 
rugged  hill  which  is  called  the  Hill  of  Difficulty.    At 


ADVENTURES   ON    THE   ROAD  51 

the  foot  of  that  hill  there  was  a  spring  of  clear  water. 
And  here  there  were  two  other  roads  besides  the  straight 
and  narrow  one.  One  of  these  wound  around  the  hill 
on  the  right-hand  side ;  the  other  branched  off  on  the 
left-hand  side.  But  the  narrow  road  went  straight 
forward  over  the  steepest  part  of  the  hill. 

Christian  wTent  to  the  spring  and  drank  from  it. 
Then  feeling  much  refreshed,  he  wrent  onward,  right 
up  the  difficult  way.    And  as  he  went  he  began  to  sing, 

"The  hill,  though  steep, 

I  will  ascend ; 
For  me  the  toil 

Will  not  offend. 
Be  brave,  my  heart, 

And  do  not  fear ; 
For  the  way  to  life 

Leads  over  here." 

The  other  two  men  came  also  to  the  foot  of  the  hill ; 
but  when  they  saw  how  high  and  steep  it  was, 
they  dreaded  to  climb  it.  Then  they  saw  the  other 
two  roads,  how  much  easier  they  seemed ;  and  they 
decided  to  follow  them. 

"All  the  ways  will  probably  meet  again  on  the  other 
side  of  the  hill,"  they  said. 


52  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

Now  the  name  of  one  of  these  roads  was  Danger,  and 
the  name  of  the  other  was  Destruction.  But  the  two 
men  did  not  know  that. 

So  one  of  them  walked  briskly  onward  along  the  way 
of  Danger,  and  the  other  went  as  fearlessly  down  the 
road  to  Destruction.  Soon  both  were  lost  in  dark 
forests  where  there  was  no  pathway  to  guide  them,  ana 
they  were  seen  no  more. 

But  Christian  toiled  onward  and  upward  until  he 
at  length  reached  the  top  of  the  hill. 


THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  as  Christian  has- 
tened on  his  way,  the  sun  went  down  and  the 
shades  of  evening  began  to  fall.  Christian  began  to 
feel  alarmed,  for  the  forest  by  the  roadside  was  the 
home  of  wild  beasts,  and  he  knew  not  where  to  find 
lodging  for  the  night. 

As  he  was  grieving  and  wondering,  he  lifted  up  his 
eyes,  and  behold,  on  the  hillside  before  him,  he  saw  a 
very  stately  building.  It  stood  right  by  the  roadside, 
and  its  name  was  the  House  Beautiful. 

Christian  quickened  his  steps  and  hurried  forward, 
for  he  hoped  to  find  lodging.  But  while  he  was  yet 
some  distance  from  the  gate,  he  saw  two  lions  crouching 
by  the  roadside. 

He  was  greatly  frightened,  and  thought  that  death 

53 


'  Soon  he   was  safe   at  the   Gateway  " 
54 


THE   HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL  55 

was  before  him.  He  turned  and  was  about  to  run  back 
when  he  heard  a  voice  calling  him.  It  was  the  voice  of 
the  porter,  whose  name  was  Watchful. 

Christian  paused  and  listened. 

"Have  courage,  sir!"  cried  the  porter.  "The  lions 
are  chained,  and  if  you  will  keep  in  the  middle  of  the 
path  they  cannot  touch  you." 

Then  Christian,  trembling  with  fear,  went  on  as 
the  porter  directed  him.  The  lions  roared  dreadfully, 
but  they  did  him  no  harm.  Soon  he  was  safe  at  the 
gateway,  and  the  porter  took  him  by  the  hand  and 
spoke  words  of  welcome  to  him. 

"What  house  is  this?"  asked  Christian.  "And  may 
I  lodge  here  to-night?" 

"It  is  the  House  Beautiful,"  answered  the  porter. 
"  It  was  built  by  the  Lord  of  the  hill,  to  serve  as  a  rest- 
ing place  for  weary  pilgrims.  Come  in  !  Come  inside 
of  the  gate." 

Christian  went  through  the  gateway,  and  the  porter 
asked  him  many  questions. 

"What  is  your  name?" 

"My  name  is  now  Christian,  but  at  first  it  was 
Graceless." 

"Whence  have  you  come?" 


56  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

"I  have  come  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  and  I 
am  on  my  way  to  the  Celestial  Land." 

Then  Watchful,  the  porter,  rang  a  little  bell ;  and 
a  beautiful  maid  whose  name  was  Discretion  came 
out  of  the  house  to  answer  to  the  call. 

"Here  is  a  weary  pilgrim  who  would  fain  lodge  here 
to-night,"  said  Watchful.  "Will  you  not  learn  from 
him  whether  he  is  in  truth  worthy?" 

Then  the  maiden  asked  him  whence  he  was,  and 
whither  he  was  going ;  and  he  told  her.  She  asked  him 
how  he  had  got  into  the  right  way;  and  he  told  her. 
She  asked  him  what  he  had  seen  and  met  on  the  road ; 
and  he  told  her. 

"What  is  thy  name?" 

"Once  it  was  Graceless,  but  now  it  is  Christian. 
And  I  am  all  the  more  desirous  to  lodge  here  to-night, 
because  I  am  told  that  the  house  was  built  by  the  Lord 
of  the  hill  as  a  resting  place  for  pilgrims." 

Then  the  maiden  smiled,  but  as  she  smiled,  the  tears 
stood  in  her  eyes. 

"I  will  call  some  of  the  others  of  our  household,"  she 
said. 

She  ran  into  the  house  and  soon  returned  with  three 
other  fair  women  more  beautiful  even  than  herself. 


THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL  57 

The  names  of  these  sisters  were  Prudence,  Piety,  and 
Charity. 

"Come  in,  thou  blessed  of  the  Lord,"  they  said. 

So  Christian  bowed  his  head  and  followed  them  into 
the  beautiful  house.  They  brought  him  water  with 
which  to  refresh  himself ;  and  when  he  had  washed  him- 
self and  brushed  the  dust  from  his  clothing,  they  gave 
him  a  pleasant  seat  by  the  window.  And  all  sat  down 
to  talk  until  supper  was  ready. 

"How  did  it  happen  that  you  started  on  this  jour- 
ney?"  asked   Piety. 

"Oh,  I  had  a  grievous  burden  on  my  back,"  an- 
swered Christian,  "  and  there  was  a  dreadful  sound  in 
my  ears,  and  I  did  not  know  whither  to  go." 

"But  who  told  you  to  come  this  way?" 

"As  I  was  trembling  and  weeping,  a  man  whose  name 
is  Evangelist  showed  me  the  way  to  the  wicket  gate. 
And  there  my  feet  were  set  in  the  right  road." 

"Did  you  see  the  house  of  the  Interpreter  by  the 
roadside?" 

"  Oh,  yes  !  And  there  I  was  shown  many  things  that 
I  will  remember  as  long  as  I  live.  I  could  have  stayed 
in  that  good  man's  house  a  whole  year,  but  I  knew 
that  I  had  farther  to  go." 


58  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

"And  what  else  did  you  see  on  the  way?" 

"See !  Why,  as  I  came  to  the  top  of  a  weary  hill 
I  saw  a  cross,  and  as  I  went  near  to  it  and  fell  on  my 
knees,  the  heavy  burden  which  I  had  borne  so  long 
tumbled  from  my  back  and  rolled  far  away  out  of  my 
sight.  And  as  I  was  rejoicing,  behold  three  Shining 
Ones  came  to  me  with  gifts.  One  of  them  gave  me 
these  beautiful  garments  which  you  see;  for  I  had 
nothing  but  rags  before.  Another  gave  me  this  sealed 
roll,  which  is  my  passport  to  the  Celestial  City." 

Then  Prudence  asked  him,  "What  is  it  that  makes 
you  so  desirous  to  reach  the  Celestial  City?" 

"Oh,  there  are  many  things,"  answered  Christian. 
"  I  hope  that  when  I  am  there  I  shall  be  free  from  the 
troubles  which  vex  me  here.  They  say  that  there  is 
no  death  there,  and  that  we  may  live  with  those  whom 
we  love  best,  and  fear  no  evil.  So  I  fain  would  be  there 
and  sing  with  those  blessed  ones  who  stand  around  the 
throne  of  the  King." 

Then  Charity  asked  him,  "Have  you  a  family?" 

And  Christian  answered,  "Yes,  I  have  a  wife  and 
four  small  children." 

"And  why  did  you  not  bring  them  with  you?" 
asked  Charity. 


THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL  59 

Then  Christian  wept  bitterly,  and  said,  "How 
gladly  would  I  have  done  so,  but  they  would  not 
listen  to  me.  They  wished  even  to  hold  me  back 
and  prevent  me  from  coming." 

While  they  were  yet  talking,  the  supper  was  made 
ready,  and  they  sat  down  at  the  table.  And  on  the 
cable  were  all  sorts  of  healthful  and  nourishing  food 
—  red-cheeked  apples,  and  purple  grapes,  and  delicious 
fruits  from  the  gardens  of  the  sun,  and  whatsoever 
would  make  the  body  strong  and  beautiful. 

The  company  sat  at  the  table,  and  all  their  talk  was 
about  the  Lord  of  the  hill  -  -  of  his  goodness  in  build- 
ing the  house  and  in  furnishing  it  with  all  things  neces- 
sary to  the  happiness  of  those  who  visited  it. 

"He  is  a  great  warrior,"  said  Piety,  "for  he  fought 
with  the  greatest  enemy  of  our  country  and  slew  him." 

"He  is  a  lover  of  the  poor,"  said  Charity,  "for  he 
stripped  himself  of  his  own  glory  that  he  might  relieve 
them  of  their  sorrows." 

Thus  they  sat  and  talked  till  late  at  night.  Then  they 
betook  themselves  to  rest,  committing  themselves  to 
the  care  of  their  Lord. 

As  for  Christian,  he  was  given  a  bed  in  a  large 
upper    chamber    where    there    was    a    window    that 


60  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

opened  toward  the  sun-rising.  The  name  of  that 
chamber  was  Peace ;  and  there  he  slept  till  the  break 
of  day. 

In  the  morning  he  arose  early,  and  as  he  dressed  he 
sang  for  joy. 

After  he  had  breakfasted  with  the  household  he  be- 
gan to  talk  of  renewing  his  journey;  but  Prudence 
said,  "Nay,  you  must  tarry  a  day  with  us.  For  we 
would  show  you  some  of  the  rarities  of  this  place." 

So  they  first  led  him  into  the  library  and  showed 
him  the  records  of  all  that  had  been  done  in  olden  times. 
There,  too,  they  showed  him  the  history  of  the  Lord 
of  the  hill,  and  the  names  of  many  good  men  and  women 
who  had  served  him,  and  pictures  of  the  mansions 
which  he  had  given  them  to  live  in. 

And  in  many  books  they  read  of  the  worthy  deeds 
of  those  who  served  the  Lord  —  how  they  had 
"subdued  kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness,  obtained 
promises,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  quenched  the 
violence  of  fire,  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword,  out  of 
weakness  were  made  strong,  waxed  violent  in  fight,  and 
turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens." 

Here  also  were  the  histories  of  other  famous  things, 
both  ancient  and  modern ;  and  Christian  was  so  pleased 


THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL  61 

with  the  reading  of  them  that  the  day  was  spent  ere  he 
was  aware. 

The  next  day,  Watchful  and  the  four  maidens  led 
him  into  the  armory  of  the  house  and  showed  him  the 
arms  and  the  curious  relics  that  were  there. 

They  showed  him  the  sword  and  the  shield,  the  hel- 
met and  the  breastplate,  and  the  shoes  which  the  Lord 
of  the  hill  had  provided  for  the  pilgrims  who  would  en- 
list under  his  banner.  None  of  these  would  wear  out, 
and  there  were  so  many  that  all  who  live  in  the  world 
might  be  clothed  in  armor. 

They  showed  him  some  of  the  strange  weapons  that 
had  been  used  in  former  times,  such  as  the  sling  with 
which  David  had  slain  Goliath,  and  the  jawbone  with 
which  Samson  had  done  such  mighty  deeds. 

They  showed  him,  also,  many  other  excellent  things, 
and  thus  the  second  day  was  passed. 

Early  the  next  morning  Christian  made  ready  to  go 
forward ;  but  the  good  people  of  the  house  persuaded 
him  to  tarry  until  the  sun  was  higher. 

"Stay,"  said  Piety,  "and  if  the  air  is  clear,  we  will 
show  you  the  Delectable  Mountains." 

"And  where  are  they?"  asked  Christian. 

"Oh,    they   are   far,   far   away,"    answered   Piety; 


62  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"but  they  are  much  nearer  to  the  Celestial  City  than 
this  place  is.  And  sometimes  we  have  most  delightful 
views  of  them." 

So  Christian  consented  and  stayed. 

Towards  noon  they  led  him  up  to  the  top  of  the  house 
and  bade  him  look  southward.  He  did  so,  and  lo ! 
at  a  great  distance  he  saw  a  most  beautiful  land.  It  was 
a  mountainous  country,  with  delightful  valleys  and 
fields.  There  were  green  woods  and  pleasant  vineyards. 
There  were  fruits  of  all  sorts,  and  flowers  of  every  hue. 
There  were  springs  and  fountains,  bright  waterfalls, 
and  quiet  brooks. 

"What  is  the  name  of  that  beautiful  country?" 
asked  Christian. 

"It  is  called  Immanuel's  Land,"  they  answered; 
"and  all  pilgrims  are  as  welcome  there  as  they  are  at 
this  our  House  Beautiful." 

Then  they  led  him  down  again  into  the  armory.  And 
they  clothed  him  from  head  to  foot  in  stout  armor. 
They  put  a  shield  in  his  hand,  and  a  sharp  sword  in  his 
belt;  and  on  his  head  they  fitted  a  helmet  of  rarest 
workmanship. 

He  was  now  ready  to  go  forward  on  his  journey; 
and  the  maidens  went  with  him  to  the  gate. 


THE  HOUSE  BEAUTIFUL  63 

"I  saw  another  pilgrim  passing,  a  little  while  ago," 
said  Watchful. 

"Did  you  know  him?"  asked  Christian. 

"He  told  me  that  his  name  is  Faithful,"  answered 
the  porter. 

"Oh,  I  know  him,"  gladly  answered  Christian.  "He 
is  one  of  my  old  neighbors.  How  far  do  you  think  he 
has  gone?" 

"  He  is  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  by  this  time." 

"Well,  I  will  hasten  and  try  to  overtake  him." 

Then  Christian  bade  the  porter  good-by,  and  began 
to  go  forward.  But  the  maidens,  Discretion,  Piety, 
Charity,  and  Prudence,  said,  "We  will  go  with  you  to 
the  foot  of  the  hill." 

So  they  went  on  together,  talking  as  they  walked. 
The  hill  was  very  steep  and  slippery,  and  at  its  foot  was 
the  Valley  of  Humiliation.  So  dangerous  was  the  going 
down  that  Christian  would  have  fallen  many  times  had 
not  Discretion  and  Prudence  been  with  him  to  direct  his 
steps.     Even  as  it  was,  he  slipped  two  or  three  times. 

At  length,  they  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill.  The 
maidens  gave  Christian  a  loaf  of  bread,  a  bottle  of  wine, 
and  a  cluster  of  raisins.  Then  they  bade  him  good-by, 
and  he  went  on  his  way. 


THE   FIGHT  WITH  APOLLYON 


THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  was  entered 
into  the  Valley  of  Humiliation ;  and  here  he  had 
no  easy  time  of  it. 

For  he  had  gone  but  a  little  way  when  he  saw  a  dread- 
ful fiend  coming  across  the  plain  to  meet  him.  The 
name  of  this  fiend  was  Apollyon,  and  he  was  too  hideous 
to  behold. 

His  body  was  covered  with  scales,  like  a  fish ;  he  had 
wings  like  a  dragon,  and  feet  like  a  bear ;  his  mouth  was 
like  the  mouth  of  a  lion,  and  fire  and  smoke  came  out 
of  his  nostrils. 

Christian  was  much  afraid.  As  the  monster  came 
flying  toward  him  he  knew  not  what  to  do.  He  had 
half  a  mind  to  run  back ;  but  he  knew  that  Apollyon 
would  soon  overtake  him. 

64 


THE   FIGHT  WITH   APOLLYON  65 

"I  will  stand  my  ground  and  do  what  I  can,"  he  said 
to  himself ;  and  he  went  boldly  forward  to  meet  the 
dreadful  fiend. 

Apollyon  came  swiftly  on,  and  gruffly  saluted  Chris- 
tian : 

"  Ho,  there,  you  fellow !  Who  are  you,  and  whence 
have  you  come?" 

"  I  have  come  from  the  City  of  Destruction,  and  my 
name  is  Christian,"  answered  the  pilgrim.  "I  am  on 
my  way  to  the  Celestial  Land." 

"Huh  !"  growled  the  fiend.  "Don't  you  know  that 
I  am  the  king  of  the  City  of  Destruction?  You  are 
my  subject,  and  you  are  trying  to  run  away  from  me." 

"True,  I  wTas  born  in  your  country,"  said  Christian, 
"but  I  am  not  your  subject.  I  have  promised  myself 
to  the  King  of  the  Celestial  Land." 

Then  wTas  Apollyon  very  angry,  and  he  would  have 
struck  down  the  pilgrim  at  once,  had  he  not  hoped  to 
gain  him  over.  He  roared  terribly,  and  cried,  "You 
are  a  rebel  and  a  traitor,  and  deserve  nothing  but  death 
at  my  hands.  Yet  I  will  forgive  you  if  you  will  turn 
now  and  go  back  to  my  city  and  my  service." 

But  Christian  stood  his  ground  bravely  and  defied 
the  fiend. 

DREAM    STORY 5 


66  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"Beware,  Apollyon !"  he  cried.  "I  am  in  the  King's 
highway.    Therefore,  take  heed  to  thyself." 

"Ha!"  answered  Apollyon.  "What  care  I  for  the 
King's  highway?"  And  with  one  foot  on  one  side  of 
the  road  and  one  on  the  other,  he  stood  directly  in 
front  of  the  pilgrim. 

"Now  I  have  you !"  he  said;  and  he  drew  flaming 
darts  from  his  breast  and  threw  them  so  that  they  fell 
like  hail  all  around  Christian's  head. 

But  Christian  held  up  his  shield  to  protect  himself, 
and  drawing  his  sword,  rushed  boldly  upon  his  foe. 
Then  there  was  a  fight  such  as  neither  you  nor  I  have 
ever  seen.  The  giant  fiend  and  the  valiant  man 
wrestled  and  strove,  they  struck  and  parried,  they 
pressed  this  way  and  that ;  and  neither  seemed  to  get 
the  better  of  the  other. 

Christian  was  wounded  in  two  or  three  places ;  and 
yet  for  a  whole  hour  he  stood  up  against  his  foe.  At 
length,  however,  his  foot  slipped  and  he  fell ;  and  his 
sword  flew  out  of  his  hand. 

"Now  I  have  thee!"  shouted  Apollyon. 

But  as  the  fiend  raised  his  arm  to  fetch  the  last  blow, 
Christian  quickly  stretched  out  his  hand  and  recovered 
his  sword.     He  leaped   to   his  feet,  crying,  "Rejoice 


THE   FIGHT   WITH   APOLLYON  67 

not  against  me,  0  mine  enemy.  When  I  fall,  I  shall 
arise !" 

With  that,  he  gave  the  fiend  a  deadly  thrust  which 
made  him  pause  and  start  back.  Then  Christian  gave 
him  another  stroke  and  another. 

Apollyon  saw  that  he  had  met  his  match.  He  spread 
his  dragon  wings  and  flew  away,  over  the  plain;  and 
Christian  saw  him  no  more. 

The  pilgrim  looked  up  and  smiled.  "Thanks  be  to 
Him  that  delivered  me  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  lion,  and 
to  Him  that  did  help  me  against  Apollyon,"  he  said. 

Then  there  came  to  him  a  hand  with  some  of  the 
leaves  of  the  tree  of  life;  and  he  took  these  and  laid 
them  upon  his  wounds,  and  he  was  healed  immediately. 
And  he  sat  down  to  eat  bread  and  to  drink  from  the 
bottle  that  was  given  him  by  the  maidens  of  the  House 
Beautiful. 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW  OF  DEATH 

NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  when  Christian  had 
rested  and  refreshed  himself,  he  again  renewed  his 
journey.  And  now  he  carried  his  sword  drawn  in  his 
hand  :  for  he  said,  "  I  know  not  what  other  enemy  I  may 
meet." 

The  way  was  rougher  and  narrower  than  before, 
and  it  led  downward  into  a  wild  land  of  bogs  and  pits 
which  was  called  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death. 

Near  the  entrance  to  this  valley,  Christian  met  two 
men  who  were  running  back  with  as  much  speed  as 
they  could. 

"Hold,  men !"  he  cried.     "What's  the  matter?" 

"Matter  enough,"  they  answered.  "We  have  been 
as  far  in  that  valley  as  any  one  dares  to  go.  The  air 
is  as  dark  as  pitch  down  there.    We  saw  hundreds  of 

68 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW  OF  DEATH   69 

hobgoblins  and  dragons  and  satyrs.  We  heard  the 
most  fearful  shrieks  and  groans.  Clouds  of  confusion 
hover  in  the  darkness.  And  Death  spreads  his  wings 
over  the  whole  valley." 

"All  these  things  are  dreadful,"  said  Christian,  "but 
I  see  that  my  way  lies  through  this  very  valley." 

"Well,"  said  the  men,  "it  is  not  our  way  "  ;  and  they 
parted. 

Then  Christian  went  down  into  the  valley,  carrying 
his  sword  in  his  hand.  The  way  was  very  narrow. 
On  one  side  of  it  there  was  a  very  deep  ditch ;  on  the  other 
there  was  a  dangerous  bog  which  was  without  bottom. 

As  Christian  went  forward,  groping  in  the  darkness, 
he  was  much  distressed.  For  when  he  would  shun 
the  ditch  on  the  one  hand,  he  felt  himself  slipping  into  the 
bog  on  the  other ;  and  when  he  drew  away  from  the  mire 
of  the  bog,  he  was  in  danger  of  stumbling  into  the  ditch. 

About  the  middle  of  the  valley  there  was  a  yawning 
chasm  close  by  the  wayside ;  and  out  of  this  chasm  came 
flame  and  smoke  and  hideous  sounds,  enough  to 
frighten  the  bravest  man.  So  here,  Christian  put  up 
his  sword  and  began  to  pray  to  the  Lord  of  the  hill, 
"0  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  deliver  my  soul !" 

Thus,  for  a  long  time,  he  went  onward ;    and  the 


"Thus,   for  a   Long  Time,   he   went  Onward" 

70 


THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  SHADOW  OF  DEATH   71 

angry  waves  reached  their  fiery  tongues  toward  him  as 
though  they  would  devour  him.  Still  he  went  onward  ; 
and  he  heard  doleful  sounds,  the  rushing  of  winds,  and 
the  shrieking  of  fiends. 

At  times  he  was  minded  to  go  back;  but  then  he 
remembered  the  scenes  he  had  passed  through,  and  felt 
that  the  danger  in  front  of  him  could  be  no  greater  than 
that  which  was  behind. 

At  length,  while  he  was  still  in  the  midst  of  alarms, 
he  thought  that  he  heard  a  voice  in  the  darkness  ahead 
of  him.  He  listened.  It  was  the  voice  of  a  man,  speak- 
ing up  clearly  in  the  midst  of  the  great  uproar* 
"Though  I  walk  through  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death,  I  will  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me." 

Then  Christian  was  glad,  and  he  went  on  with  a 
surer  step  than  before.  He  called  to  him  that  was 
before:  "Oh,  my  friend  Faithful!  Is  it  your  voice 
that  I  hear?" 

But  no  answer  came  out  of  the  gloom. 

Soon,  however,  the  day  broke,  and  the  light  of  the 
sun  began  to  dispel  the  darkness.  Christian  paused 
and  looked  back  over  the  road  he  had   traveled. 

He  could  see  plainly  the  ditch  and  the  bog  with  the 
narrow  pathway  between  them. 


72  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

He  could  see  the  hobgoblins  and  the  dragons  and 
the  satyrs ;  but  they  were  far  off,  hiding  in  the  shadows 
of  the  valley. 

He  gave  thanks  that  he  had  escaped  all  these,  and 
then  resumed  his  journey.  The  way,  however,  was 
still  beset  with  dangers,  for  he  was  not  yet  out  of  the 
valley.  There  were  so  many  snares,  traps,  pits,  and 
pitfalls  all  along  the  way,  that  had  it  now  been  dark  he 
would  surely  have  fallen  into  them  and  been  lost.  But, 
as  I  have  said,  the  sun  was  rising. 


THE   MAN  TALKATIVE 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  had  come 
safely  out  of  the  dark  valley,  and  was  singing  on 
his  way.  And  as  he  came  to  the  brow  of  a  hill,  whom 
should  he  see  before  him  but  his  old  friend  Faithful  ? 

"Ho!  ho!  soho!"  he  cried.  "Wait  and  I  will  be 
your  companion." 

Faithful  looked  behind  him,  but  walked  on. 

"Wait!  wait  till  I  come  up  with  you,"  again  called 
Christian. 

But  Faithful  answered,  "I  must  not  tarry;  for  my 
errand  is  pressing." 

Then  Christian  ran  with  what  speed  he  could,  and 
not  only  overtook  Faithful  but  passed  by  him.  Then 
he  looked  back  and  laughed. 

"You  wouldn't  wait,  and  so  I  am  ahead  of  you." 

73 


74  JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

But,  as  he  was  speaking,  he  stumbled  and  fell ;  and 
being  worn  with  his  journey  he  could  not  rise  again  till 
Faithful  came  to  help  him. 

Then  the  two  went  on  very  lovingly  together,  talk- 
ing of  things  that  had  happened  to  them  on  their  pil- 
grimage. Each  told  the  other  of  all  that  he  had  seen, 
and  of  the  dangers  he  had  escaped ;  and  both  were 
much  comforted  and  strengthened. 

They  had  walked  thus  a  long  way,  when,  chancing 
to  look  up,  they  saw  a  stranger  near  them  who  was 
going  in  the  same  direction. 

"Whither  away,  friend  ?"  asked  Faithful.  "Are  you 
going  to  the  Celestial  Land?" 

"That  is  the  very  place  to  which  I  am  going," 
answered  the  stranger. 

" I  am  glad,"  said  Faithful ;  "and  we  shall  be  pleased 
to  have  your  company." 

"Nothing  will  please  me  better,"  said  the  stranger.  "I 
hope  that  we  shall  have  much  pleasant  talk  together." 

"Come  on,  then,  and  let  us  spend  our  time  dis- 
coursing about  things  that  are  interesting  and  profit- 
able,"  said   Faithful. 

"With  all  my  heart,"  answered  the  stranger,  "for 
I  am  very  fond  of  talking." 


THE    MAN   TALKATIVE  75 

So  he  came  up  and  walked  between  the  two  pilgrims ; 
and  as  he  walked  he  talked. 

"  How  pleasant  it  is  to  talk  ! "  he  said.  "  How  delight- 
ful to  talk  of  the  history  and  mystery  of  things !  A 
man  may  learn  many  things  by  talking  and  listening 
to  talk.  Let  us  talk  of  things  heavenly  or  things 
earthly ;  of  things  past  or  of  things  to  come ;  of  things 
foreign  or  of  things  at  home.  We  shall  find  all  such  dis- 
course profitable." 

And  so  he  wrent  on,  chattering  about  this  thing  and 
that,  but  saying  nothing  that  could  improve  the  mind 
or  touch  the  heart.  He  talked  and  talked  and  talked ; 
and  his  words  rippled  from  his  mouth  so  pleasantly 
that  even  Faithful  was  inclined  to  think  that  there  was 
some  meaning  to  his  speech. 

But  Christian  kept  silent,  and  gradually  fell  a  little 
way  behind  the  others.  He  was  busy  with  his  own 
thoughts,  and  the  empty  words  of  the  stranger  were 
unpleasant  to  him. 

By  and  by,  as  the  stranger  was  delivering  a  long  speech 
and  listening  to  himself  with  great  delight,  Faithful 
loitered  a  little  until  Christian  had  overtaken  him. 

"What  a  fine  companion  we  have!"  he  whispered. 
"He  will  make  a  gocd  pilgrim." 


76  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

Christian  smiled.  "He  certainly  has  a  fair  tongue," 
he  said. 

"Do  you  know  him?"  asked  Faithful. 

"  Know  him !  Yes,  better  than  he  knows  him- 
self." 

"Tell  me,  then,  who  is  he?" 

"  I  wonder  that  you  don't  know  him.  He  is  a  fellow 
from  our  town,  and  his  name  is  Talkative.  His  father's 
name  is  Say-well,  and  his  home  is  in  Prating  Row." 

"Well,  he  seems  to  be  a  very  pretty  man,"  said 
Faithful. 

"He  is  prettiest  away  from  home,"  said  Christian. 
"  The  people  who  know  him  say  that  it  is  better  to  deal 
with  a  Turk  than  with  him.  He  is  ugly  to  his  family, 
ugly  to  his  servants,  ugly  to  all  goodness  at  home.  But 
he  is  always  ready  to  talk,  and  he  talks  to  please  the 
company  he  is  in." 

"Since  you  know  him  so  well,"  said  Faithful,  "I 
am  led  to  believe  that  he  is  a  great  sayer  but  no  doer. 
I  am  already  sick  of  his  prattle  and  his  company.  But 
how  shall  we  get  rid  of  him  ?" 

"Only  ask  him  some  question  touching  his  own  life 
and  morals,  and  see  whether  he  won't  become  sick  of 
your  company,"  answered  Christian. 


THE  MAN   TALKATIVE  77 

So  Faithful  quickened  his  steps  and  soon  caught  up 
with  Talkative. 

"  Come,  what  cheer  ?     How  are  you  now  ?  "  he  asked. 

"Very  well,  I  thank  you,"  said  Talkative.  "I 
thought  we  should  have  had  a  great  deal  of  talk  by 
this  time." 

"We  will  have  it  now,"  said  Faithful;  and  so  by 
skillful  questions  he  led  the  talkative  man  to  say  a  great 
many  things  concerning  the  duties  of  life  and  the  right 
way  of  living.     Then  he  asked  him  plainly, 

"Do  you,  yourself,  live  in  this  way?  And  do  you 
do  those  things  which  you  say  all  good  and  true  men 
ought  to  do?" 

Talkative  hung  his  head,  and  was  slow  to  answer. 
Then  he  said,  "I  see  that  you  are  ready  to  find  fault 
with  every  man  that  you  meet.  I  do  not  care  to  talk 
with  such  people;    and  so  I  will  bid  you  good-by." 

And  with  that  he  leaped  over  the  wall  and  walked 
away  by  himself  across  the  field. 

And  Christian  and  Faithful  went  on  together  talking 
of  the  place  to  which  they  were  bound,  and  rejoicing 
in  the  hope  which  filled  their  hearts. 


VANITY  FAIR 

THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that,  as  Christian  and 
Faithful  journeyed  onward,  they  came,  by  and  by, 
to  a  large  and  famous  town.  The  name  of  that  town 
was  Vanity;  and  a  fair  was  held  there  all  the  year 
round. 

The  road  to  the  Celestial  City  was  through  the  midst 
of  the  town  and  the  great  fair;  and  so  the  two  pil- 
grims must  needs  go  that  way. 

As  they  walked  they  saw  the  places,  rows,  and  streets 
where  all  sorts  of  things  were  bought  and  sold.  One 
street  was  called  the  English  Row,  another  the  French 
Row,  another  the  Italian  Row,  another  the  German 
Row.  Every  country  in  the  world  had  its  own  place, 
where  its  own  peculiar  kinds  of  goods  were  sold. 

And  as  the  pilgrims  went  quietly  along,  intent  upon 

78 


VANITY  FAIR  79 

their  own  duty,  they  were  beset  by  numbers  of  hawkers 
and  barkers  urging  them  to  buy  of  their  goods. 

"What  will  you  buy?  What  will  you  buy?"  they 
cried  ;  and  they  offered  all  sorts  of  vanities  and  follies. 

The  people  who  visited  this  fair  and  who  spent 
most  of  their  time  there,  were  dressed  in  rich  and 
gaudy  apparel ;  and  they  seemed  to  have  nothing  to  do 
but  to  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry.  They  moved  hither 
and  thither,  from  one  street  or  row  to  another,  laugh- 
ing at  this  thing  and  that,  and  seeking  always  for  some- 
thing new. 

And  here  at  all  times  were  seen  cheats,  fools,  apes, 
knaves,  and  rogues  of  every  kind ;  and  here  also  were 
thieves,  liars,  and  all  sorts  of  wicked  men. 

"  What  will  you  buy  ?  What  will  you  buy  ?  "  cried  the 
hawkers  and  barkers.  And  a  crowd  of  idlers  soon 
gathered  around  the  pilgrims  to  see  what  they  would  do. 

Then  Faithful,  turning,  and  looking  at  them  gravely, 
answered,  "We  buy  the  truth." 

At  that  answer  there  was  a  great  commotion  in 
the  street.  Some  laughed,  some  mocked,  and  some 
picked  up  stones  to  throw  at  the  pilgrims. 

At  length  the  whole  fair  was  in  a  hubbub,  and 
Christian   and   Faithful  were  so  hemmed  in  by  the 


80  JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

multitude  that  they  could  go  neither  forward  nor 
backward. 

Then  some  officers  of  the  town  took  them  in  charge 
and  led  them  to  the  hall  of  the  chief  magistrate, 
where  they  were  accused  of  having  made  an  unlaw- 
ful disturbance  in  the  fair. 

"You  seem  to  be  strangers  in  this  place,"  said  the 
chief  magistrate  sternly.  "Where  do  you  come  from, 
and  what  is  your  business?" 

"We  are  pilgrims,"  answered  Christian,  "and  we 
are  on  our  way  to  our  own  country,  which  is  the  Celes- 
tial Land." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  coming  thus  to  our  fair 
and  trying  to  overturn  it  by  your  disorder?"  asked 
the  magistrate. 

"We  were  but  going  peaceably  along  the  highway," 
answered  Faithful,  "and  we  should  have  said  nothing 
had  not  so  many  followed  us,  asking  us  to  buy  of 
their  wares.  Even  then  we  did  nothing,  but  said 
that  we  would  buy  the  truth." 

This  answer  caused  the  magistrate  to  fall  into  a 
great  rage.  He  called  them  liars  and  disturbers  of  the 
peace,  and  commanded  them  to  be  punished. 

So  the  officers  of  the  town  took  them  and  beat  them, 


The  Two   Prisoners  were  brought   into   Court' 

81 


82  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

and  besmeared  them  with  mud,  and  put  them  in  a 
cage,  where  all  the  people  of  the  fair  might  come  and 
jeer  at  them. 

But  Christian  and  Faithful  bore  their  punishment 
meekly,  and  made  no  answer  to  those  who  reviled  them. 
Their  very  faces  showed  the  goodness  of  their  hearts ; 
and  since  it  could  not  be  proved  that  they  had  done 
any  harm,  there  were  several  of  the  townsfolk  who 
began  to  speak  well  of  them. 

This  put  the"  magistrate  and  the  rest  of  those  at 
the  fair  into  greater  rage  than  before;  and  they  de- 
clared that  the  pilgrims  should  suffer  death. 

So  they  put  chains  upon  them  and  made  their 
feet  fast  in  the  stocks.  And  a  time  was  set  when 
they  should  be  tried  before  the  judge  of  that  coun- 
try, who  acted  in  the  name  of  the  king. 

The  day  at  last  came,  and  the  two  prisoners  were 
brought  into  court.  The  name  of  the  judge  was  Sir 
Hategocd ;  and  he  sat  upon  the  bench  with  a  jury  of 
twelve  picked  men  before  him. 

"You  are  charged,"  said  he,  "of  being  enemies  to  our 
town,  the  disturbers  of  our  fair,  and  plotters  against 
our  king,  who  is  the  great  Beelzebub.  What  have  you 
to  say  in  your  defense  ?" 


VANITY  FAIR  83 

Then  Faithful  began  to  answer.  "As  for  being  an 
enemy,"  he  said,  "I  set  myself  only  against  those  who 
set  themselves  against  the  Almighty.  As  for  disturb- 
ance, I  have  made  none,  for  I  am  a  man  of  peace. 
As  for  your  king,  Beelzebub,  he  is  the  enemy  of  our 
Lord,  and  I  defy  him." 

Having  said  this,  he  sat  down,  and  three  witnesses 
were  called.  The  names  of  these  witnesses  were 
Envy,  Superstition,  and  Pickthank ;  and  they  had 
been  hired  for  this  work. 

"Do  you  know  this  prisoner  at  the  bar?"  asked 
the  judge. 

Then  Envy  stepped  forward  and  said,  "My  lord, 
I  have  known  him  a  long  time.  He  is  one  of  the  vilest 
men  in  our  country.  He  has  no  regard  for  our  king,  our 
laws,  or  our  customs.  I  have  heard  him  say  that  all 
ought  to  be  overthrown." 

"What  else  have  you  to  say?"  asked  the  judge. 

"Oh,  I  might  say  a  thousand  things  about  his  vile- 
ness  and  his  treason,  but  I  will  not  weary  the  court. 
Perhaps  I  will  say  more  after  the  other  witnesses  have 
spoken." 

Then  they  called  Superstition  and  bade  him  look 
at  the  prisoner. 


84  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"Do  you  know  this  man?"  asked  the  judge! 

"Well,  I  have  no  great  acquaintance  with  him,  nor 
do  I  wish  to  have,"  answered  the  witness.  "But  I 
know  him  to  be  a  very  pestilent  fellow;  and  I  have 
heard  him  speak  ill  of  our  king  and  our  religion." 
And  with  this,  he  went  on  to  accuse  Faithful  of  many 
wicked  deeds. 

Finally,  Pickthank  was  brought  forward  and  asked 
to  say  what  he  knew  about  the  prisoner. 

"My  lord,  I  have  known  him  a  very  long  time," 
he  answered.  "I  have  often  heard  him  rail  against  our 
king,  Beelzebub,  and  against  the  princes  of  our  land. 
In  fact,  I  have  heard  him  rail  against  you,  my  lord.  I 
have  heard  him  call  you  a  villain,  and  all  sorts  of  other 
ugly  names.  I  know  him  to  be  an  enemy  of  our  country 
and  of  our  king." 

The  judge  was  now  filled  with  anger  towards  Faith- 
ful ;  and  he  called  upon  the  jury  to  decide  among 
themselves  and  give  their  verdict  concerning  the  vile 
prisoner  before  them. 

So  the  jury  consulted  together,  and  each  one  gave  his 
own  opinion  of  the  matter : 

"I  see  clearly  that  this  man  is  a  heretic,"  said  Mr. 
Blindman,  who  was  the  foreman. 


VANITY   FAIR  85 

"Yes!  yes!"  said  Mr.  Malice.  "Away  with  him. 
I  hate  the  very  looks  of  him." 

"I  never  could  endure  him,"  said  Mr.  Lovelust. 

"Nor  I,  for  he  was  always  talking  against  my  ways," 
said  Mr.  Liveloose. 

"Hang  him,  hang  him  !"  said  Mr.  Heady. 

"He's  a  sorry  scrub,"  said  Mr.  Highmind. 

"My  heart  riseth  against  him,"  said  Mr.  Enmity. 

"He  is  a  rogue,"  said  Mr.  Liar. 

"Hanging  is  too  good  for  him,"  said  Mr.  Cruelty. 

"Let  us  hasten  to  put  him  out  of  the  way,"  said 
Mr.  Hatelight. 

"Yes,  let  us  forthwith  sentence  him  to  death,"  said 
Mr.   Implacable. 

And  so  they  did. 

And  the  judge  presently  condemned  him  to  be  led 
from  the  place  and  put  to  the  most  cruel  death  that 
could   be   invented. 

They  therefore  brought  him  out  to  do  with  him  ac- 
cording to  their  law.  They  scourged  him ;  they  beat 
him  with  their  fists;  they  stoned  him  with  stones; 
and,  last  of  all,  they  burned  him  to  ashes  at  the  stake. 

Thus  came  Faithful  to  his  end. 

But,  behold,  there  came  a  chariot  with  horses ;  and 


86 


JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 


Faithful,  being  freed  from  the  body,  was  taken  up  into 
it;  and  straightway  he  was  carried  up  through  the 
clouds,  with  sound  of  trumpet,  the  nearest  way  to 
the  Celestial  Gate. 

As  for  Christian,  he  was  remanded  to  prison  to  wait 
for  his  trial  at  another  time.  But  He  that  overrules 
all  things  so  wrought  it  about  that  he  escaped  from  his 
foes  and  went  on  his  way.  And  as  he  went,  the  name 
of  his  dear  friend  was  ever  on  his  tongue  — 

"Sing,  Faithful,  sing, 

And  let  thy  name  survive. 
For  though  they  killed  thee, 
Thou  art  yet  alive." 


THE   FATE   OF  MR.   BY-ENDS 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  was  not 
alone  as  he  left  the  town  of  Vanity.  For  he  had 
as  companion  one  who  had  been  a  citizen  of  that  town, 
and  whose  name  was  now  Hopeful. 

"I  will  go  with  you,"  said  this  man  Hopeful,  "be- 
cause I  have  seen  how  gently  and  patiently  and  bravely 
you  bore  your  sufferings  at  the  Fair.  And  there  are 
many  others  who  witnessed  the  glorious  death  of 
Faithful  and  will  follow  after  us." 

Now  they  had  not  gone  very  far  on  their  way  when 
they  overtook  one  who  was  going  before  them.  This 
person  was  very  smartly  dressed,  he  walked  with  his 
head  thrown  back,  and  he  had  ever  a  proud  smile  upon 
his  face. 

87 


88  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"Good-morning,  fellow  traveler,"  said  Christian. 
"How  far  go  you  in  this  way?" 

"  I  am  from  the  town  of  Fair-speech,  and  I  am  going 
to  the  Celestial  City,"  he  answered. 

"From  Fair-speech  !"  said  Christian.  "Is  there  any 
good  thing  in  that  town?" 

"I  hope  so,"  was  the  answer. 

"I  have  heard  of  that  town.  They  say  it  is  a  very 
wealthy  place,"  said  Christian. 

"Indeed,  that  is  true,"  said  the  traveler.  "I  have 
a  good  many  rich  kindred  there." 

"Pray,  sir,  what  may  we  call  you  ?"  asked  Christian. 

"  I  am  a  stranger  to  you,  and  you  to  me,"  was  the 
answer.  "  If  you  are  going  this  way,  I  shall  be  glad  to 
go  with  you.  I  will  say  to  you  that  I  belong  to  a  very 
respectable  family.  True,  my  great  grandfather  was 
only  a  ferryman,  rowing  one  way  and  looking  the  other ; 
but  I  have  become  a  gentleman  of  the  first  quality." 

Then  Christian  stepped  a  little  aside  to  his  fellow, 
Hopeful,  and  said,  "This  man  will  not  tell  me  his  name, 
but  I'm  quite  sure  that  he  is  the  noted  Mr.  By-ends  of 
Fair-speech." 

"Ask  him,"  said  Hopeful;  "he  will  surely  not  be 
ashamed  of  his  name." 


THE    FATE    OF   MR.    BY-EXDS  89 

So  Christian  came  up  with  him  again  and  said,  "I 
think  I  have  a  good  guess  at  you.  Isn't  your  name  Mr. 
By-ends?" 

"That  is  not  my  real  name,"  answered  the  man; 
"  but  some  people  who  don't  like  me  have  given  it  to 
me  as  a  nickname." 

"Did  you  never  do  anything  to  deserve  such  a 
name?" 

"Never,  never  !  The  worst  I  ever  did  was  to  happen 
always  to  be  on  the  same  side  as  the  company  I  am 
with.  I  never  go  against  wind  or  tide.  I  like  to  go  to 
church  when  I  can  wear  my  silver  slippers.  So  why 
should  men  call  me  By-ends?" 

"Well,  if  you  go  with  us,  you  must  go  against  wind 
and  tide,"  said  Christian. 

"Indeed,"  answered  By-ends,  "if  you  don't  wish  my 
company,  I  can  get  along  very  well  by  myself."  And 
with  that  he  dropped  behind,  and  Christian  and  Hope- 
ful went  onward  with  quickened  steps. 

Soon  the  road  became  broader  and  easier,  and  pres- 
ently they  saw  spread  out  before  them  a  beautiful  plain 
called  Ease.  The  way  was  now  so  pleasant  that  the 
pilgrims  sang  for  joy;  the  plain  was  very  level  and 
they  were  soon  across  it. 


90  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

At  the  farther  side  of  the  plain  there  was  a  hill,  and 
in  that  hill  there  was  a  silver  mine ;  but  it  was  a  little 
way  off  from  the  road. 

As  the  pilgrims  were  looking  at  the  hill  they  saw  a 
man  whose  name  was  Demas  standing  beside  it  and 
beckoning  to  them. 

"Ho,  you  travelers  !"  he  said,  "come  over  here,  and 
I  will  show  you  something." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Christian. 

"It  is  a  silver  mine,"  answered  Demas,  "and  there  are 
men  here  digging  for  treasure.  If  you  would  become 
rich,  now  is  your  time." 

"Let's  go  and  see,"  said  Hopeful. 

"Not  I,"  answered  Christian;  "I've  heard  of  this 
place  before.  There  is  a  pit  close  by  it,  and  many  who 
have  been  lured  that  way  have  fallen  into  it  and 
perished." 

Then  he  turned  again  to  Demas  and  asked,  "Isn't 
that  mine  a  very  dangerous  place  for  pilgrims?" 

"Oh,  no;  not  very  dangerous,"  answered  Demas; 
but  he  blushed  as  he  spoke. 

Then  Christian  took  Hopeful  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"Let  us  still  keep  on  our  way." 

So  they  went  on,  and  Hopeful,  looking  backward, 


THE    FATE    OF   MR.    BY-ENDS  91 

said,  "I'D  warrant  you  that  when  By-ends  comes  up, 
he  will  turn  in  to  see  that  mine." 

"No  doubt  of  it,"  said  Christian;  "for  he  is  that 
sort  of  man." 

And  it  happened  just  so.  For  when  By-ends  came 
within  sight  of  the  hill  and  the  mine,  he  had  great  long- 
ing to  see  the  treasure  that  was  hidden  there.  And 
when  Demas  beckoned  to  him,  he  ran  over  to  the  place 
and  was  seen  no  more.  But  whether  he  fell  into  the 
pit  by  looking  over,  or  whether  he  went  down  to  dig, 
or  whether  he  was  smothered  by  the  gases  in  the  mine 
—  of  these  things  I  am  not  certain. 


BY-PATH  MEADOW 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  and  Hopeful 
went  until  they  came  to  a  pleasant  river ;  and  for 
a  time  their  way  lay  just  upon  the  bank  of  the  river. 

Here,  therefore,  they  walked  with  great  delight. 
They  drank  of  the  water  of  the  river,  and  it  was  pleas- 
ant and  strengthening  to  their  weary  spirits.  On  either 
side  of  the  stream  there  were  beautiful  trees  that  bore 
all  manner  of  fruit ;  and  the  leaves  of  these  trees  were 
for  medicine. 

Here,  also,  they  came  to  a  meadow  that  was  curiously 
beautified  with  lilies,  and  it  was  green  all  the  year  round. 
In  this  meadow  they  lay  down  and  slept,  for  here  they 
were  safe  from  all  harm.  When  they  awoke,  they  ate 
of  the  fruit  of  the  trees,  and  drank  of  the  life-giving 
water.     Then  they  lay  down  again  to  sleep. 

92 


BY-PATH   MEADOW  93 

Thus  they  rested  and  refreshed  themselves  for  several 
days ;  and  when  they  were  disposed  to  go  on,  they  ate 
and  drank  and  departed.  But  soon  the  river  and  the 
road  parted,  and  at  this  they  were  very  sorry.  For 
now  the  way  was  rough  to  their  travel-worn  feet ;  and 
as  they  went  on,  they  wished  for  a  better  way. 

By  and  by,  they  saw  on  the  left  hand  of  the  road  a 
green  meadow;  and  there  was  a  stile  to  go  over  the 
fence  into  it.  And  a  sign  by  the  stile  told  them  that 
this  was  By-path  Meadow. 

Christian's  feet  being  tender,  he  went  to  the  stile 
and  looked  over;  and  behold  there  was  a  pleasant 
path  on  the  other  side  of  the  fence. 

"This  suits  me,"  said  Christian.  "Here  is  the 
easiest  going.  Come,  Hopeful,  let  us  get  over  and  fol- 
low this  soft,  cool  path." 

"What  if  it  should  lead  us  astray?"  asked  Hopeful. 

"Oh,  no  danger  of  that,"  said  Christian.  "It  keeps 
close  along  the  roadside  fence." 

So  they  climbed  over  the  stile  and  found  the  path 
very  easy  for  their  feet.  They  soon  overtook  a  man 
who  was  walking  the  same  way,  and.  they  asked  him, 
"Whither  does  this  pathway  lead?" 

"To  the  Celestial  City,"  he  answered. 


"They  climbed  over   the  Stile 
94 


BY-PATH     MEADOW  95 

"Are  you  quite  sure?"  asked  Hopeful. 

"I  am  confident  of  it,"  answered  the  stranger. 

"There,  didn't  I  tell  you  so  ?"  said  Christian.  "And 
to  make  us  doubly  sure,  see  that  finger  board  which 
says:    TO    THE    CELESTIAL    CITY." 

So  the  stranger,  whose  name  was  Vain-confidence, 
went  on  before ;  and  they  followed  him.  But  soon  the 
night  came  on,  and  it  grew  very  dark.  They  could 
not  see  the  path.  They  lost  sight  of  him  that  went 
before. 

Presently,  as  they  were  groping  in  the  dark,  they 
heard  a  fearful  scream,  and  then  a  crash,  as  of  some  one 
falling  into  a  pit.  They  called  out,  and  asked,  "What 
is  the  matter?     Where  are  we  now?" 

But  the  only  answer  they  heard  was  a  groaning  in 
the  darkness.  And  now  it  began  to  rain ;  and  the 
thunder  and  lightning  were  most  dreadful.  The  water 
also  began  to  rise  in  the  meadow,  and  they  were  fearful 
lest  they  should  be  drowned. 

"Oh,  that  I  had  kept  in  the  right  way!"  groaned 
Hopeful. 

"But  who  would  have  thought  that  this  path  would 
lead  us  astray?"  said  Christian. 

"I  was  afraid  of  it  at  the  first,"  said  Hopeful,  "and 


96  JOHN    BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

there  I  gave  you  a  gentle  hint.  I  would  have  spoken 
plainer,  but  you  are  older  than  I." 

"Well,  good  brother,"  said  Christian,  "I  am  truly 
sorry  that  I  have  led  you  out  of  the  way.  Pray,  for- 
give me ;   I  did  not  intend  wrong." 

"Certainly,  I  forgive  you,"  said  Hopeful,  "and  I 
believe  that  this  shall  be  for  our  good." 

"Let  us  go  back  again,  and  try  to  find  the  road," 
said  Christian. 

"Yes,  let  us  go ;  but  I  will  lead  the  way,"  said  Hopeful. 

"No,  let  me  go  first,"  said  Christian. 

"Indeed,  I  will  go  first,"  said  Hopeful;  "for  you 
might  miss  the  way  again." 

Then  they  heard  in  the  darkness  a  voice  saying, 
"Set  thine  heart  toward  the  highway,  even  the  way 
which  thou  wentest." 

But  by  this  time  the  waters  were  risen  very  high, 
and  they  were  in  great  danger.  They  started  bravely 
back,  however,  feeling  their  way  at  every  step.  And 
the  flood  was  so  high  that  nine  or  ten  times  they  came 
near  being  drowned. 

At  last,  reaching  the  high  ground,  where  there  was  a 
little  shelter,  they  crouched  down  in  a  dry  place  to  rest. 
And  being  very  weary  they  fell  asleep. 


GIANT   DESPAIR 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  not  far  from  the  place 
where  the  pilgrims  lay,  there  was  a  castle  called 
Doubting  Castle.  The  owner  of  that  castle  was  Giant 
Despair,  and  it  was  on  his  grounds  that  Christian 
and  Hopeful  were  now  sleeping. 

This  giant,  getting  up  in  the  morning  early,  went 
out  to  walk  in  his  fields ;  and  there  he  beheld  the  two 
men  asleep,  being  overwearied  with  struggling  in  the 
storm.  He  beat  with  his  club  upon  the  ground,  and 
called  out  to  them  in  a  grim  and  surly  voice : 

"Wake  up  there,  you  !     Get  up,  I  say  I" 

In  much  alarm,  and  scarcely  knowing  where  they 
were,  they  sprang  to  their  feet  and  looked  him  in  the  face. 

'  Who  are  you  ?  And  why  are  you  here,  trespassing 
on  my  grounds?"  he  gruffly  asked. 


DREAM    STORY  —  1 


97 


98  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

They  told  him  that  they  were  pilgrims,  and  that  they 
had  lost  their  way. 

"Well,"  said  the  giant,  "you  have  trespassed  upon 
my  grounds,  you  have  trampled  upon  and  broken  my 
shrubbery,  and  therefore  you  must  go  with  me  to  my 
castle." 

Then,  with  his  great  club  in  his  hand,  he  drove  them 
before  him  up  to  the  great  door  of  his  castle ;  and  he 
put  them  into  a  very  dark  and  loathsome  dungeon, 
where  the  light  of  the  sun  was  never  seen.  There  they 
lay  helpless  for  three  days  and  nights,  without  one 
bite  of  bread  or  drop  of  drink  or  any  friend  to  ask  them 
how  they  did. 

Now,  Giant  Despair  had  a  wife,  and  her  name  was 
Diffidence.  In  the  evening  he  told  her  about  the  prison- 
ers he  had  taken,  and  asked  her  what  he  should  do  with 
them. 

"Who  are  they  ?"  she  asked  ;  "and  whither  are  they 
going?" 

"They  say  they  are  pilgrims,  and  that  they  are  bound 
for  the  Celestial  City,"  answered  the  giant. 

"That  is  a  likely  story,"  said  the  woman.  "To- 
morrow morning,  give  them  a  good  beating,  and  see 
what  they  will  say  then." 


GIANT    DESPAIR  99 

So,  as  soon  as  he  arose  the  next  morning,  he  took  his 
crab-tree  club  and  went  down  into  the  dungeon. 
There  he  first  began  to  abuse  them  by  calling  them  all 
sorts  of  wicked  names ;  but  they  made  him  no  answer. 

Then  he  fell  upon  them  with  his  club  and  beat  them 
most  savsgely  until  they  fell  upon  the  floor  and  were 
not  able  to  help  themselves  in  the  least.  Having  done 
this,  he  left  them  alone  in  the  darkness,  to  moan  and 
groan  in  their  deep  distress.  And  there  they  lay  all 
that  day,  expecting  only  to  die. 

In  the  evening  the  giant's  wife  asked  him  what  he 
had  done  with  his  prisoners.  He  told  her  that  he  had 
beaten  them  without  mercy,  but  that  they  were  still 
alive  and  groaning  on  the  floor  of  the  dungeon. 

"Why  don't  you  kill  them  at  once?"  she  asked. 

"Truly,  that  is  what  I  should  like  to  do,"  answered 
Giant  Despair;  "but  I  don't  dare  to  put  myself  in 
danger  of  the  law." 

"Well,  then,  if  I  were  you,"  said  the  woman,  "I 
would  give  them  some  knives  and  tell  them  to  kill 
themselves." 

The  giant  was  pleased  with  this  advice,  and  early 
the  next  morning  he  went  down  into  the  dungeon 
again.     He  spoke  to  them  in  the  same  surly  manner  as 


100  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

before,  and  told  them  that  they  need  never  expect  to 
get  out  of  that  place  alive. 

"You  had  better  make  way  with  yourselves,  and  so 
end  your  misery,"  he  said.  And  with  that,  he  placed 
sharp  knives  and  a  bottle  of  poison  on  the  floor  beside 
them. 

But  Christian  answered  him  meekly:  "We  are  sorry 
that  we  trespassed  upon  your  grounds ;  and,  indeed,  we 
should  not  have  done  so  but  for  the  darkness.  If  you 
will  kindly  allow  us  to  depart,  we  promise  never  to 
trouble  you  again." 

This  pleasant  speech  put  the  giant  into  a  terrible 
rage.  He  rushed  upon  the  helpless  men  and  would 
have  killed  them  with  his  club ;  but  as  he  was  going 
to  strike  he  fell  into  a  fit  and  lost  the  use  of  his  hand. 
For  in  sunshiny  weather  he  often  had  such  fits. 

When,  by  and  by,  he  came  to  himself,  he  arose  and 
left  the  dungeon  quietly.  And  the  pilgrims  sat  on  the 
floor,  and  asked  each  other  what  they  should  do. 

"Here  we  shall  indeed  perish,"  said  Christian,  "for 
there  is  no  one  to  help  us." 

"Do  you  remember  how  brave  you  were  in  other 
places?"  asked  Hopeful.  "Think  how  you  fought 
with  Apollyon.     Think  how  you  faced  the  terrors  of 


GIANT    DESPAIR  101 

the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death.  Think  how  you 
played  the  man  at  Vanity  Fair,  and  feared  neither 
chain  nor  cage  nor  bloody  death.  So,  let  us  bear  up 
with  what  patience  we  can." 

The  next  morning  the  giant  went  down  into  the 
dungeon  again.  There  he  found  his  two  prisoners  not 
only  alive  but  somewhat  stronger  than  before,  and  the 
sight  of  them  roused  his  anger  again. 

"What!    Still  alive?"  he  said  gruffly. 

Then  he  opened  a  little  window  in  the  wall  of  the  dun- 
geon and  showed  them  the  yard  of  the  castle.  It  was 
strown  with  white  bones  and  skulls,  and  was  indeed  a 
dreadful  place  to  look  into. 

"Do  you  see  those  bones?"  said  Giant  Despair. 
"They  are  bones  of  men  who  were  once  pilgrims  as  you 
are.  They  trespassed  upon  my  grounds  and  I  tore 
them  in  pieces,  just  as  I  shall  tear  you  when  I  am 
ready." 

Then  he  gave  them  another  beating  and  left  them  in 
a  worse  state  than  before. 

"It  is  strange  how  much  they  can  endure,"  he  said 
to  his  wife.  "You  would  think  that  with  all  the  beat- 
ings I  have  given  them,  and  with  all  my  advice,  they 
would  have  come  to  an  end  before  now." 


102  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

"I  am  afraid  that  they  are  expecting  some  one  to 
come  and  help  them,"  answered  the  woman.  "Or  per- 
haps they  have  pick-locks  in  their  pockets,  and  hope  to 
open  the  doors  with  them  and  escape." 

"Well,  I  never  thought  of  that,"  said  the  giant. 
"To-morrow  morning  I  will  search  them." 

Now,  a  little  before  day,  Christian  sprang  up  quickly 
and  cried  out,  "What  a  fool  I  am !  Here  I  am  lying 
in  this  dungeon  when  I  might  as  well  be  walking  at 
liberty.  I  have  a  key  here  in  my  bosom.  It  is  called 
Promise,  and  I'm  quite  sure  it  will  open  any  lock  in 
Doubting  Castle." 

"That's  good  news,  brother,"  said  Hopeful.  "Try 
it,  and  let  us  see  what  it  will  do." 

Christian  took  the  key  from  his  bosom  and  began  to 
try  at  the  dungeon  door.  Quickly  the  bolts  moved 
back,  and  the  door  opened. 

Then  Christian  and  Hopeful  both  went  out;  and 
when  they  had  come  to  the  outer  door  of  the  castle, 
they  unlocked  that  also. 

They  crossed  the  courtyard  softly,  and  came  to  the 
great  iron  gate.  Christian  fitted  the  key  into  the  lock, 
but  it  took  all  his  strength  to  turn  it.  At  length  they 
pushed  the  gate  open ;    but  it  made  such  a  creaking 


GIANT    DESPAIR  103 

on  its  hinges  that  Giant  Despair  heard  it,  and  came 
rushing  out  in  pursuit  of  his  prisoners. 

But  when  he  had  nearly  overtaken  them  he  fell  into 
another  fit,  and  they  escaped  him.  So  they  went  on 
until  they  came  to  the  stile ;  and  having  climbed  it, 
they  were  again  in  the  King's  highway,  and  so  were 
safe  once  more. 

"I  hope  no  other  pilgrims  will  ever  fall  into  the 
hands  of  that  giant,"  said  Hopeful. 

"But  they  may  do  so,"  answered  Christian.  "The 
stile  is  easy  to  climb,  and  the  grounds  by  the  castle 
are  very  inviting." 

"Let  us  put  up  a  sign  to  warn  those  who  may  come 
after  us,"  said  Hopeful. 

So  they  set  up  a  pillar  close  by  the  stile ;  and  upon 
one  side  of  the  pillar  they  wrote  these  words : 

Over  this  Stile 

is  the  way  to 

DOUBTING   CASTLE 

which  is  kept  by 

GIANT   DESPAIR 

who  despises  the  King  of  the  Celestial  Country, 

and  seeks  to  destroy  his 

HOLY    PILGRIMS. 


104  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM    STORY 

Having  put  up  this  warning,  they  went  again  upon 
their  way ;  and  as  they  went  they  sang, 

"We  wandered  from  the  King's  highway 
To  seek  an  easier  road  ; 
But  wandering  thus,  we  came  unto 
A  giant's  grim  abode. 

« 

"O  Pilgrims,  who  may  follow  us, 
We  bid  you  walk  with  care, 
Lest  you  like  us  do  fall  into 
The  power  of  Giant  Despair." 


THE  DELECTABLE  MOUNTAINS 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims  came 
at  length  to  the  Delectable  Mountains.  These 
are  the  mountains  which  belong  to  the  Lord  of  the 
Celestial  Land,  and  which  Christian  had  seen  afar 
off  when  at  the  House  Beautiful. 

Very  joyfully  did  the  two  weary  ones  go  up  into  these 
mountains.  And  there  they  beheld  the  gardens  and 
orchards,  the  vineyards  and  fountains  of  water.  There 
also  they  drank  and  washed  themselves ;  and  they  ate 
freely  of  the  grapes  of  the  vineyard. 

Now  there  were  on  the  tops  of  these  mountains  shep- 
herds feeding  their  flocks,  and  they  stood  by  the  side 
of  the  highway.  The  pilgrims,  therefore,  as  they  came 
up,  were  fain  to  speak  with  them.    So  they  stopped  and 

105 


10G  JOHN    BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

rested,  each  leaning  upon  his  staff,  as  weary  pilgrims 
do  when  talking  with  any  one  on  the  road. 

"Whose  Delectable  Mountains  are  these?"  asked 
Christian. 

The  eldest  of  the  shepherds  answered,  "They  belong 
to  Immanuel,  the  Lord  of  the  Celestial  Land,  and  they 
are  within  sight  of  his  city.  These  sheep  are  also  his, 
and  he  loves  them." 

"  Is  this  the  way  to  the  Celestial  City  ?  "  asked  Hopeful. 

"The  way  you  are  in  is  the  right  way,"  answered  the 
shepherd. 

"How  far  is  it  thither?" 

"It  is  too  far  for  any  but  those  who  will  surely  get 
there." 

"Is  the  way  safe  or  dangerous?" 

"It  is  safe  for  those  who  deserve  to  be  safe,  but 
dangerous  to  the  unworthy." 

Then  the  shepherds,  whose  names  were  Knowledge, 
Experience,  Watchful,  and  Sincere,  took  them  by  the 
hand  and  welcomed  them  to  the  Delectable  Mountains. 
They  led  them  to  their  tent  and  gave  them  food  and 
drink. 

"Now  stay  with  us  a  while,  and  let  us  become  ac- 
quainted," they  said. 


They   walked   a   While    and   saw    Many   Wonderful  Views  " 

107 


108  JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

So  the  pilgrims  tarried  with  them,  and  slept  in  their 
tent  that  night ;  for  they  were  very  weary. 

In  the  morning  the  shepherds  called  Christian  and 
Hopeful,  and  asked  them  to  walk  out  a  little  way  upon 
the  mountains.  So  they  walked  a  while,  and  saw  many 
wonderful  views. 

They  saw  in  the  distance  a  dreadful  hill  called  Error. 
The  sides  of  it  were  very  steep,  and  the  shepherds  said 
that  many  a  man  had  tried  to  climb  to  its  top  and  had 
perished. 

Then  the  shepherds  led  them  to  the  summit  of  a  hill 
called  Caution ;  and  there  they  saw  a  path  which  led 
straight  down  to  Doubting  Castle  and  the  grounds  of 
Giant  Despair. 

At  last  they  led  them  to  a  very  high  hill  called  Clear. 
"From  this  spot  we  will  show  you  the  gates  of  the 
Celestial  City,"  they  said. 

Now  the  eldest  of  the  shepherds,  whose  name  was 
Knowledge,  had  a  wonderful  spyglass  in  which  things 
that  are  far  away  appear  as  very  close  at  hand.  He 
put  this  spyglass  into  Christian's  hands  and  bade  him 
look  through  it,  if  indeed  he  had  the  skill  to  do  so. 

Christian  put  it  to  his  eye  and  looked ;  and  after 
him  Hopeful  did  likewise.     But  their  hearts  were  so 


THE    DELECTABLE    MOUNTAINS  109 

moved  by  what  they  had  already  been  told  that  their 
hands  shook  and  they  could  not  look  steadily  through 
the  glass.  They  thought,  however,  that  they  saw 
something  like  a  gate,  and  also  some  of  the  glory  of  the 
place. 

After  this  they  returned  to  the  shepherds'  tent,  and 
there  they  refreshed  themselves  for  their  journey.  And 
when  they  were  ready  to  depart,  the  kind  shepherds 
went  a  little  way  with  them,  and  taking  them  by  the 
hand,  bade  them  farewell. 

"I  give  you  a  pocket  map  of  the  way,"  said  Knowl- 
edge.   ."  Whenever  you  are  in  doubt,  look  at  it." 

"Beware  of  the  Flatterer,"  said  Experience. 

"Take  heed  that  you  do  not  sleep  in  the  Enchanted 
Land,"  said  Watchful. 

"God  speed  you  on  your  way,"  said  Sincere. 

Then,  turning,  the  shepherds  went  back  to  their 
sheep,  and  the  pilgrims  went  on  their  way. 


THE   FLATTERER 

NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  two  pilgrims  went 
down  the  mountain  along  the  King's  highway. 
Near  the  foot  of  the  mountain  they  saw  a  crooked  little 
lane  which  opened  into  the  highway ;  and  as  they  were 
wondering  whither  it  led,  they  saw  a  finger  board  at 
the  side  of  it  on  which  was  written 


THIS  WAY  LIETH   THE   LAND   OF  CONCEIT 

While  they  were  reading  the  sign,  a  very  brisk  young 
man  came  down  the  lane  into  the  highway. 

"Good  morning,  strangers,"  said  he.  "Whither  are 
you  going?" 

"We  are  on  our  way  to  the  Celestial  City,"  answered 
Christian.    "  Who  are  you,  and  whither  are  you  bound  ?  " 

"People  call  me  Ignorance,"  answered  the  young 

no 


THE    FLATTERER  111 

man,  "though  I  don't  know  why  I  should  have  that 
name.  I  have  come  out  of  the  Land  of  Conceit,  and 
I,  too,  am  going  to  the  Celestial  City." 

"Do  you  think  you  will  get  into  the  city?"  asked 
Christian. 

"Well,  I  don't  know,"  answered  Ignorance.  "Other 
good  people  get  in,  and  I  think  I  can  do  so." 

"Why  didn't  you  come  into  the  highway  through  the 
wicket  gate?"  asked  Hopeful. 

"The  wicket  gate  is  a  long  way  from  our  country," 
answered  the  young  man.  "And  indeed,  what  is  the 
use  of  a  wicket  gate  when  one  can  come  in  by  way  of  a 
pleasant  green  lane  like  this?" 

Then  the  pilgrims  walked  onward,  and  Ignorance 
followed  them  a  long  way,  calling  to  them  now  and 
then  to  ask  a  question. 

They  went  on  till  they  came  to  a  place  where  another 
road  joined  itself  to  the  King's  highway.  It  seemed 
as  straight  and  as  well-built  as  the  highway  itself ;  and 
they  were  not  sure  which  was  the  right  road  and  which 
was  the  wTrong. 

As  they  stood,  uncertain  which  way  to  go,  a  man 
dark  of  skin  but  wearing  a  snow-wThite  robe  came  up 
with  them. 


112  JOHN    BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

"Well,  my  worthy  friends,"  said  he,  "whither  are 
you  journeying?" 

"We  are  journeying  to  the  Celestial  City,"  answered 
Christian.  "But  these  two  roads  are  so  nearly  alike 
that  we  know  not  which  to  take." 

"I  am  going  thither,"  said  the  man,  "and  I  know  the 
way  very  well.  If  you  will  follow  me,  I  will  be  your 
guide." 

So  they  followed  him.  But  he  led  them  by  a  way 
which  after  a  while  began  to  turn  a  little  and  a  little 
away  from  the  city.  It  kept  turning  until  in  time  their 
faces  looked  away  from  the  Celestial  Land ;  yet  they 
kept  on  following  him. 

"You  are  very  wise  men,"  said  the  stranger,  "and 
there  is  no  one  who  can  walk  with  surer  steps  than  you." 

But  after  a  time  they  found  themselves  caught  in 
a  net.  The  net  was  so  tangled  about  them  that  they 
could  not  get  out.  Then  the  white  robe  fell  off  the 
dark  man's  back,  and  they  saw  where  they  were. 

They  lay  struggling  and  helpless  for  some  time. 
"Now,"  said  Christian,  "I  see  my  error.  We  have 
been  following  the  Flatterer.  For  is  it  not  written  that 
'he  that  flattereth  his  neighbor  spreadeth  a  net  for  his 
feet'?" 


THE    FLATTERER  113 

"Didn't  the  shepherds  warn  us  against  this  fellow?" 
said  Hopeful.  "And  didn't  they  give  us  a  pocket  map 
of  the  way?" 

Thus  they  lay  bewailing  and  blaming  themselves  in 
the  net. 

After  a  long  time  they  looked  up  and  saw  a  Shining 
One  coming  towards  them  with  a  whip  of  cords  in  his 
hand.  He  came  up  and  asked  them  who  they  were 
and  how  they  came  to  be  there. 

"We  are  pilgrims  to  the  Celestial  City,"  answered 
Christian ;  "but  we  were  led  out  of  our  way  by  a  dark 
man  clothed  in  white.  He  told  us  to  follow  him,  for 
he  knew  the  way." 

"The  dark  man  was  Flatterer  in  the  garb  of  an 
angel  of  light,"  said  the  Shining  One ;  and  he  cut  the  net 
to  pieces  and  set  the  men  free. 

"Now  follow  me,"  said  he,  "and  I  will  set  you  in 
your  way  again." 

So  he  led  them  back  to  the  King's  highway.  Then 
he  asked  them  sharply, 

"  Did  you  not  stay  a  little  while  with  the  shepherds 
on  the  Delectable  Mountains?" 

They  answered,   "We  did." 

"And  did  not  one  of  the  shepherds  give  you  a  pocket 

DREAM    STORY 8 


114  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

map  on  which  was  shown  every  part  of  the  King's 
highway?" 

"He  did,"  answered  Christian. 

"Did  you,  when  you  were  uncertain,  look  at  this 
map  and  read  the  directions  that  are  printed  upon  it?" 

"Alas,  no!"  they  both  answered. 

"Why?" 

"We  forgot  about  it." 

"Did  the  shepherds  warn  you  against  any  person?" 

"Yes,  against  the  Flatterer.  But  this  man  talked  so 
pleasantly  that  we  did  not  imagine  it  was  he." 

Then  the  Shining  One  bade  them  lie  down  upon  the 
ground ;  and  he  whipped  them  sorely  with  his  whip  of 
cords.  "As  many  as  I  love,  I  rebuke  and  chasten," 
he  said. 

Then  he  raised  them  up,  and  bade  them  go  on  their 
way;  and  they  thanked  him  for  his  kindness  and 
went  softly  along  the  right  road,  rejoicing  that  their 
faces  were  once  more  set  towards  the  Celestial  Land. 


THE   ENCHANTED   LAND 

THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  they  went  till  they 
came  into  a  certain  country  where  the  air  was  such 
as  to  make  them  feel  very  drowsy.  The  soft  breezes, 
which  scarcely  stirred  the  leaves,  were  laden  with  sweet 
perfumes,  and  the  mossy  banks  in  the  shade  of  the  trees 
invited  to  rest. 

Then  Hopeful  began  to  be  very  dull  and  heavy  of 
sleep.  And  he  said  to  Christian,  "I  can  scarcely  hold 
open  my  eyes,  I  am  so  drowsy ;  let  us  lie  down  here 
and  take  a  short  nap." 

But  Christian  answered,  "Let  us  do  no  such  thing, 
lest  sleeping,  we  never  wake  again !" 

"Why  so,  my  brother?"  said  Hopeful.  "Sleep  is 
sweet  to  the  weary  traveler  and  to  the  laboring  man. 
A  little  nap  might  greatly  refreshen  us." 

115 


116  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

"Listen  to  me,  Hopeful,"  said  Christian.  "Do  you 
not  remember  that  one  of  the  shepherds  warned  us  to 
beware  of  falling  asleep  in  the  Enchanted  Land? 
Therefore,  let  us  keep  awake  and  watch,  lest  evil 
befall  us." 

"You  are  right,  brother,"  said  Hopeful.  "If  I  had 
been  here  alone  I  should  have  given  up  to  sleep,  and 
perhaps  I  should  have  been  in  danger  of  death.  The 
wise  man  was  right  when  he  said,  'Two  are  better 
than  one.'  " 

"Well,"  said  Christian,  "let  us  by  all  means  keep 
awake ;  and  to  drive  away  this  drowsiness,  let  us  talk 
with  each  other  about  our  journey  and  the  place  whither 
we  are  bound." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  Hopeful. 

So  they  walked  on,  and  as  they  walked  they  talked. 
But  the  air  was  heavy,  and  there  was  ever  a  sound  of 
sweet  music  in  their  ears,  which,  if  they  had  listened  to, 
would  have  lulled  them  to  sleep.  Yet  as  often  as  Hope- 
ful showed  signs  of  drowsiness,  Christian  would  shake 
him  a  little  and  cry, 

"Wake  up,  brother!" 

Then  they  would  walk  onward,  sweetly  conversing 
about  the  things  that  were  uppermost  in  their  minds ; 


THE    ENCHANTED   LAND  117 

and  by  and  by,  when  Christian  himself  began  to  be 
overcome,  Hopeful  in  his  turn  would  cry, 

"Wake  up,  brother!" 

Thus  they  walked  onward,  cheering  and  comforting 
and  warning  each  other,  until  they  were  safely  through 
the  Enchanted  Land. 


THE  LAND  OF  BEULAH 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims  went 
on,  and  by  and  by  entered  into  the  country  of 
Beulah.  This  was  indeed  a  pleasant  land  and  a 
healthful  one.  For  the  air  was  very  sweet,  and  the 
sun  shone  night  and  day. 

There  they  heard  always  the  singing  of  birds;  they 
saw  every  day  the  flowers  blooming  in  wood  and  field ; 
they  heard  the  cooing  of  turtle  doves  and  the  songs  of 
running  brooks. 

So  in  this  land  the  pilgrims  tarried  a  while  and  sol- 
aced themselves.  For  the  Land  of  Beulah  is  beyond 
the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  Death.  It  is  also  out  of 
reach  of  Giant  Despair,  and  Doubting  Castle  cannot 
so  much  as  be  seen  from  its  hilltops. 

But  the  pilgrims  were  here  within  sight  of  the  city 

118 


THE    LAND    OF   BEULAH  119 

they  were  going  to ;  and  as  they  rested  themselves, 
some  of  the  people  of  that  city  came  out  to  see  them. 
For  in  this  land  the  Shining  Ones  came  often  to  walk, 
because  it  was  on  the  borders  of  the  Celestial  Country. 

Here  the  pilgrims  had  no  want  of  corn  and  wine; 
for  in  this  place  was  an  abundance  of  all  the  things  they 
had  sought  in  their  pilgrimage.  And  as  they  walked 
onward,  their  joy  became  greater,  day  by  day.  Then, 
as  they  drew  nearer  the  city,  they  began  to  have  a 
more  perfect  view  of  it. 

They  saw  that  it  was  builded  of  pearls  and  precious 
stones,  and  that  the  streets  were  paved  with  gold. 
Then,  as  they  beheld  somewhat  of  its  natural  glory  and 
the  sunbeams  that  enlightened  it,  Christian  could 
scarcely  wait  to  enter  it.  His  desire  was  so  great  that 
he  fell  sick;  and  Hopeful  also  had  a  fit  of  the  same 
disease. 

Therefore,  they  lay  for  a  while  in  the  Land  of  Beulah, 
looking  wistfully  over  towards  the  Celestial  Gate,  and 
crying  out  because  of  their  great  desire.  But  after  a 
time,  being  better  able  to  hold  themselves,  they  arose 
and  went  on.  They  went  on  and  came  yet  nearer  and 
nearer,  where  were  orchards  and  vineyards  and  beau- 
tiful gardens. 


120  JOHN    BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

Now  as  they  passed  these  places,  they  saw  the 
gardener  standing  in  the  way.  They  asked  him, 
"Whose  goodly  vineyards  and  gardens  are  these?" 

'They  are  the  King's,"  he  answered.  "They  are 
planted  here  for  his  own  delight  and  for  the  solace  of 
pilgrims." 

Then  he  led  them  into  the  vineyards  and  bade  them 
refresh  themselves  with  the  dainty  fruit  that  hung 
clustering  on  the  vines.  He  showed  them  also  the 
King's  walks,  and  the  pleasant  arbors  where  he  delighted 
to  be.  And  here  they  tarried  a  while  and  slept.  And 
sweet  dreams  came  to  them  in  their  sleep,  and  they 
talked  aloud  of  the  joys  that  were  in  store  for  them. 

In  the  morning  when  they  awoke  they  turned  their 
steps  once  more  towards  the  city.  But  the  sunbeams 
which  rested  upon  it  were  so  extremely  glorious  that 
they  could  not  look  that  way  with  open  face.  So, 
as  they  went,  they  had  need  to  look  through  glasses 
that  had  been  made  for  that  purpose. 

Then  I  saw,  as  they  went  on,  that  two  men  in  shin- 
ing raiment  came  forth  to  meet  them ;  and  the  faces 
of  these  men  shone  as  the  light.  These  men  asked  the 
pilgrims  whence  they  came;  and  they  told  them. 
They  asked  them  where  they  had  lodged  ;  and  they  told 


THE    LAND    OF    BEULAH  121 

them.  They  asked  them  what  dangers  they  had  met 
and  what  difficulties  they  had  overcome ;  and  they  told 
them. 

"There  are  still  two  difficulties  which  you  must  sur- 
mount, and  then  you  will  be  in  the  city,"  said  the  men. 

"Will  you  not  walk  with  us  until  we  come  to  our 
journey's  end?"  asked  Christian  and  Hopeful. 

"That  we  will  do,"  answered  the  men;  "but  it  is 
by  your  own  faith  that  you  must  go  on  in  safety  to  the 
Celestial  Gate." 


THE   RIVER  OF  DREAD 

NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  they  went  on  to- 
gether until  they  came  in  sight  of  the  gate.  I 
further  saw  that  between  them  and  the  gate  there 
was  a  river  and  there  was  no  bridge  to  go  over ;  and 
the  river  was  very  deep. 

When  the  pilgrims  came  to  this  river,  they  were  much 
disheartened  ;  but  the  men  who  were  with  them  said, 
"You  must  go  through,  or  you  cannot  get  to  the 
gate." 

Christian  was  greatly  cast  down  by  this  answer, 
and  began  to  wish  that  he  might  draw  back  and  escape. 
But  Hopeful  took  him  by  the  hand  and  cheered  him 
with  comforting  words.  Then  as  they  came  to  the 
water's  edge,  they  asked  the  men  how  deep  the  river 
was. 

122 


THE    RIVER   OF    DREAD  123 

"You  will  find  it  deeper  or  shallower,  as  you  put 
your  trust  in  the  King,"  was  the  answer. 

So  they  stepped  in.  Then  Christian  felt  himself 
beginning  to  sink,  and  he  cried  out,  "0  Hopeful,  my 
friend,  I  sink  in  deep  waters.  The  billows  go  over  my 
head  ;   the  waves  cover  me  !" 

# 

But  Hopeful  answered,  "Be  of  good  cheer,  my 
brother  !     My  feet  are  on  the  bottom,  and  it  is  good." 

Still  Christian  cried  out  in  his  despair,  "  I  shall  perish 
in  this  river.  I  shall  never  see  the  Celestial  Land  — 
the  land  of  milk  and  honey." 

Hopeful,  therefore,  had  much  ado  to  keep  his 
brother's  head  above  water.  Indeed,  sometimes  he 
would  be  quite  gone  down ;  and  in  a  little  while  he 
would  rise  up  again  half  dead. 

But  all  the  time,  Hopeful  tried  to  cheer  him. 
"Brother,  I  see  the  gate,"  he  said.  "I  see  the  men 
standing  by  to  welcome  us." 

"It  is  you  for  whom  they  wait,"  answered  Christian. 
"They  wait  for  you  and  not  me.  You  have  been 
Hopeful  ever  since  I  knew  you." 

"And  so  have  you,"  answered  Hopeful.  "Remem- 
ber how  you  have  kept  your  face  turned  always 
toward  the  Celestial  Land." 


124  JOHN    BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

Then  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christian  was  silent 
for  a  time  as  though  in  deep  thought.  And  Hopeful 
said,  "  Be  of  good  cheer.  We  shall  soon  be  on  the  other 
side.     I  see  the  Prince  of  the  Celestial  Land." 

"I  see  him,  too,"  cried  Christian;  "and  he  tells 
me,  'When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will 
be  with  thee;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not 
overflow  thee.'" 

Soon  the  water  became  shallower,  and  Christian 
found  the  bottom  good  ground  to  walk  upon.  So  they 
went  on,  cheerfully  and  with  hopeful  hearts ;  and  thus 
they  got  over. 


THE  END   OF  THE  JOURNEY 


ri^HEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims  being 


T 


come  out  of  the  water,  two  Shining  Ones  met 
them  and  saluted  them.  And  all  went  walking  along 
together  towards  the  gate. 

Now  the  city  stood  upon  a  mighty  hill,  but  the  pil- 
grims went  up  with  ease ;  for  the  Shining  Ones  led 
them  and  helped  them.  They  had  also  left  their  heavy 
garments  behind  in  the  river ;  for  though  they  went  in 
with  them,  they  came  out  without  them. 

So  they  went  up  lightly  and  with  speed,  though 
the  city  was  higher  than  the  clouds.  They  went  up 
through  the  clear  air,  talking  sweetly  as  they  went; 
for  they  were  comforted  because  they  had  safely 
crossed  the  river  and  were  being  led  by  such  glorious 
companions. 

125 


126  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM    STORY 

The  Shining  Ones  talked  to  them  on  the  way  and 
told  them  about  the  beauty  and  the  grandeur  of  the 
place.  'You  are  now  going,"  they  said,  "to  the  para- 
dise of  our  Lord.  There  you  shall  see  the  tree  of  life 
and  eat  of  its  never-fading  fruits.  There  you  shall  be 
clothed  with  glory  and  with  majesty ;  and  there  you 
shall  see  the  King  as  he  is.  There  your  friends  will 
meet  you,  even  those  who  have  come  before ;  and  you 
shall  with  joy  receive  every  one  that  follows  into  the 
holy  place  after  you." 

Now  as  they  were  drawing  near  the  gate,  a  great 
company  came  out  to  meet  them.  And  the  two  Shin- 
ing Ones  said,  "These  are  the  men  that  have  loved  our 
Lord  and  have  left  all  for  his  sake.  He  has  sent  us 
to  fetch  them,  and  we  have  brought  them  thus  far  on 
their  journey." 

Then  there  was  a  great  shout  of  welcome ;  and  the 
King's  trumpeters  saluted  them  with  music  loud  and 
sweet.  And  the  great  company  surrounded  them  on 
every  side.  Some  went  before,  some  behind,  and  all 
walked  on  together  towards  the  gate. 

But  before  they  came  to  it,  they  had  another  view  of 
the  city  itself  ;  and  the  pilgrims  thought  that  they  heard 
the  bells  therein  ringing  sweetly  to  welcome  them. 


THE    END    OF    THE   JOURNEY  127 

And  so  they  went  on,  and  the  watchmen  at  the  gate 
looked  over  and  saw  them  and  asked  who  they  were. 

"These  pilgrims,"  answered  a  Shining  One,  "are 
come  from  the  City  of  Destruction  for  the  love  that 
they  bear  to  the  King  of  this  place." 

Then  Christian  and  Hopeful  gave  their  passports 
to  the  keepers  of  the  gate  ;  and  the  command  was  given 
that  they  should  enter. 

Now  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  these  two  men  went  in 
at  the  gate :  and  lo,  they  were  transfigured,  and  they 
had  raiment  put  on  that  shone  like  gold.  Then  I 
heard  all  the  bells  in  the  city  ring  out  for  joy ;  and  a 
voice  sweeter  than  any  earthly  music  said  unto  them 
"Enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  your  Lord." 

So  I  awoke,  and  behold  it  was  a  dream. 


THE   CONCLUSION 

NOW,  Reader,  I  have  told  my  dream  to  thee ; 
See  if  thou  canst  interpret  it  to  me, 
Or  to  thyself,  or  neighbor ;  but  take  heed 
Of  misinterpreting ;  for  that,  instead 
Of  doing  good,  will  but  thyself  abuse  : 
By  misinterpreting,  evil  ensues.  .  .  . 
What  of  my  dross  thou  findest  here,  be  bold 
To  throw  away ;  but  yet  preserve  the  gold. 
What  if  my  gold  be  wrapped  up  in  ore  ?  — 
None  throws  away  the  apple  for  the  core. 
But  if  thou  shalt  cast  all  away  as  vain, 
I  know  not  but  'twill  make  me  dream  again. 

—  John  Bunyan. 


128 


THE 

PILGRIM'S   PROGRESS 

FROM   THIS   WORLD   TO   THAT   WHICH    IS 

TO   COME 

Delivered  under  the  Similitude  of 
a  Dream 


THE   SECOND   PART 


129 


THE   DIVISIONS  OF  THE   SECOND   PART 


PAGE 


The  Authok's  Way 133 

Introductory  Paragraph 135 

The  Departure 137 

At  the  Wicket  Gate 142 

The  House  of  the  Interpreter 147 

Greatheart 153 

At  the  House  Beautiful 159 

Through  the  Valley  of  Humiliation        ....  166 

Through  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow       ....  170 

The  New  Town  of  Vanity 176 

Doubting  Castle 180 

In  Peril  in  the  Enchanted  Ground         ....  186 

Rest  in  the  Land  of  Beulah 193 

Envoy «  198 


131 


THE   AUTHOR'S   WAY 

OF  SENDING   FORTH   HIS  SECOND   PART   OF  THE   PILGRIM 

GO  now,  my  little  book,  to  every  place 
Where  my  first  Pilgrim  has  but  shown  his  face, 
Call  at  the  door.     If  any  say,  "  Who's  there  ?  " 
Then  answer  thou,  "  Christiana  is  here." 
If  they  bid  thee  come  in,  then  enter  thou, 
With  all  thy  boys ;  and  then,  as  thou  know'st  how, 
Tell  who  they  are,  also  from  whence  they  came  ; 
Perhaps  they  know  them  by  their  looks  or  name. 

But,  if  they  should  not,  ask  them  yet  again 
If  formerly  they  did  not  entertain 
One  Christian,  a  Pilgrim.     If  they  say 
They  did,  and  were  delighted  in  his  way, 
Then  let  them  know,  that  those  related  were 
Unto  him  ;  yea  his  wife  and  children  are. 

133 


134         THE   DIVISIONS   OF   THE   SECOND   PART 

Tell  them  that  they  have  left  their  house  and  home, 
Are  turned  Pilgrims,  seek  a  world  to  come  ; 
That  they  have  met  with  hardships  in  the  way, 
That  they  do  meet  with  troubles,  night  and  day  ; 
Yea,  tell  them  of  the  next,  who  have, 
Of  love  of  pilgrimage,  been  stout  and  brave 
Defenders  of  that  way,  and  how  they  still 
Refuse  this  world,  to  do  their  Father's  will. 

Go,  tell  them  also  of  those  dainty  things, 
That  pilgrimage  unto  the  Pilgrim  brings. 
Let  them  acquainted  be,  too,  how  they  are 
Beloved  of  their  King,  under  his  care. 
What  goodly  mansions  he  for  them  provides, 
Though  they  meet  with  rough  winds  and  swelling 

tides ; 
How  brave  a  calm  they  will  enjoy  at  last, 
Who  to  their  Lord,  and  by  his  ways  hold  fast. 

Perhaps  with  heart  and  hand  they  will  embrace 
Thee,  as  they  did  my  firstling,  and  will  grace 
Thee  and  thy  fellows  with  such  cheer  and  fare, 
As  show  that  they  of  Pilgrims  lovers  are. 

—  John  Bunyan. 


Some  time  ago  I  told  you  of  my  dream  about  Christian  the 
Pilgrim,  and  of  his  dangerous  journey  to  the  Celestial  Country; 
and  the  telling  of  it  was  pleasing  to  me  and  I  hope  profitable  to 
you.  Now,  not  long  ago,  I  went  down  again  towards  that 
place  wherein  there  is  a  Den ;  and  having  taken  up  my  lodgings 
in  a  wood  near  by,  I  slept  and  dreamed  again. 


135 


"  Christiana  and  her  Boys  went  out  hopefully  ' 

136 


THE   DEPARTURE 


I  THOUGHT  that  I  saw  in  my  dream  the  little 
house  in  the  City  of  Destruction,  which  had  once 
been  Christian's  home.  In  that  house  sat  Christian's 
wife,  her  eyes  full  of  brinish  tears  and  her  mind 
burdened  with  many  grievous  thoughts. 

Then,  as  she  moaned  and  wept,  she  said  to  her  chil- 
dren, "Sons,  we  are  all  undone.  Your  father  is  gone 
to  the  Celestial  Land.  He  would  have  had  us  with 
him,  but  I  would  not  go.  And  now  we  are  left  alone 
in  this  place  with  no  one  to  comfort  us." 

With  that  the  boys  fell  all  into  tears,  and  cried  out 
to  go  after  their  father. 

"Oh,  that  we  had  gone  with  him  !"  cried  Christiana, 
for  that  was  her   name.     "Oh.  that  we   had    shared 

137 


138  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

his  burden  and  his  perils,  for  then  had  it  fared  well  with 
us." 

Then  all  wept  and  cried  out,  "Oh,  woe  worth  the 
day!" 

In  the  morning  when  they  were  up  and  still  feeling 
very  sorrowful,  they  heard  some  one  knocking  hard  at 
the  door. 

"If  thou  comest  in  God's  name,  come  in,"  said 
Christiana. 

So  he  opened  the  door  and  came  in,  saying,  "Peace 
be  to  this  house/' 

Christiana  saw  that  he  was  a  messenger,  and  her 
heart  waxed  warm,  for  she  hoped  that  he  brought  news 
of  her  husband. 

Then  he  said  to  her,  "My  name  is  Secret,  and  I 
dwell  with  those  that  are  high.  I  have  come  from  the 
Lord  of  the  Celestial  Land  to  tell  thee  that  he  is  will- 
ing to  receive  thee.  He  invites  thee  to  come  to  his 
table,  and  he  will  feed  thee  with  the  fat  of  his  house. 
Thy  husband  is  already  there,  and  he  will  be  glad  to 
hear  the  sound  of  thy  feet." 

At  this  the  good  woman  was  quite  overcome,  and 
she  cried  out,  "Sir,  I  am  ready  to  go.  Will  you  carry 
me  and  my  children  with  you?" 


THE   DEPARTURE  139 

Then  answered  the  messenger,  "Christiana,  the  bitter 
is  before  the  sweet.  You  must  pass  through  troubles, 
as  Christian  did,  before  you  can  enter  the  Celestial 
City.  Follow  the  light  which  you  see  dimly  in  the 
distance.  Go  to  the  wicket  gate.  Keep  to  the  straight 
and  narrow  way." 

Having  said  this,  the  messenger  bade  her  farewell, 
and  Christiana  called  her  sons  together. 

"Come,  my  children,"  she  said,  "let  us  pack  up 
and  be  off  to  the  gate  that  leads  to  the  Celestial 
Land." 

When  the  children  heard  this,  they  danced  for  joy, 
for  they  longed  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  their  father. 
So  all  made  haste  to  get  ready  for  the  journey. 

But  just  as  they  were  about  to  be  gone,  two  women 
who  were  neighbors  of  Christiana  came  up  to  the  house 
and  knocked  at  the  door.  And  when  they  saw  the 
mother  and  the  boys  all  ready  to  set  out  from  their 
home,  they  were  much  surprised. 

"Indeed,  indeed,  what  is  the  meaning  of  this?" 
asked  one  of  them,  whose  name  was  Mrs.  Timorous. 

"We  are  going  on  a  journey,"  answered  Christiana. 

"A  journey!  Where  to,  I  pray  you?"  cried  Mrs. 
Timorous. 


140  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM   STORY 

"Even  to  go  after  my  good  husband,"  said  Chris- 
tiana ;  and  with  that  she  began  to  weep. 

"I'm  afraid  you'll  be  sorry  for  it,"  said  Mrs.  Timor- 
ous. "Only  think  of  the  perils  in  your  way.  Think 
of  your  four  little  boys,  and  remember  that  the  safest 
place  is  at  home." 

"Tempt  me  not,  my  neighbor,"  answered  Christiana. 
"  I  have  fully  made  up  my  mind,  and  nothing  can  turn 
me  back." 

"Fool !  fool !"  said  Mrs.  Timorous,  and  she  mocked 
Christiana  and  spoke  many  bitter  words  to  her.  Then 
she  turned  to  the  other  young  woman  and  said,"  Come, 
Mercy,  let  us  go  home.  She  will  have  her  own  way, 
and  so  let  her  suffer  as  she  deserves." 

But  Mercy's  kind  heart  was  touched  at  the  thought 
of  parting  with  Christiana.  So  she  answered  Mrs. 
Timorous,  and  said,  "Nay,  I  think  I  will  walk  a  little 
way  with  her  and  the  boys.  The  day  is  bright  and 
fair,  and  I  will  help  them  to  get  well  started  on  their 
journey." 

"Ha!"  said  Mrs.  Timorous.  "You  want  to  go  a 
fooling,  too,  do  you  ?  But  take  heed  in  time,  and  be 
wise.  While  we  are  out  of  danger,  we  are  out;  but 
when  we  are  in,  we  are  in." 


THE   DEPARTURE  141 

Then  Mrs.  Timorous  returned  to  her  own  house. 
And  Christiana  and  her  boys  went  out  hopefully  and 
began  their  journey.  And  the  sweet-faced  maiden 
whose  name  was  Mercy  went  with  them. 

"  I  will  be  your  companion  even  to  the  wicket  gate 
and  as  much  farther  as  the  King  will  permit  me  to  go," 
she  said. 


AT  THE  WICKET  GATE 


"1VT  0 W  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  they  went  onward 
-*-^  over  the  plain  in  the  way  which  Christian  had 
gone  before  them.  The  way  was  rough  and  uneven, 
and  they  often  grew  tired ;  but  Mercy  was  ever  at 
hand  to  cheer  and  comfort  them,  and  oftentimes  she 
took  the  youngest  child  in  her  arms  and  carried  him. 

They  came,  by  and  by,  to  the  great  bog,  the  Slough 
of  Despond,  and  it  was  even  more  miry  than  it  had 
been  when  Christian  fell  into  it.  But  they  must 
needs  get  across  it ;  and  Christiana  sank  deep  in  the 
mud  more  than  once  or  twice.  Mercy  also  came  near 
sticking  in  the  oozy  mire.  But  the  boys,  being  quick  of 
feet  and  light  of  heart,  went  over  without  knowing  that 
any  bog  was  there. 

So  they  went  on  until  presently  they  came  to  the 

142 


AT   THE   WICKET   GATE  14H 

wicket  gate.  Then  as  they  stood  before  it  they  began 
to  wonder  how  they  should  get  through.  They  saw 
the  words  written  above  it,  "Knock  and  it  shall  be 
opened  unto  you."  But  which  of  them  should  do  the 
knocking  ? 

At  last  Christiana  ventured  to  knock.  She  knocked 
and  knocked  and  knocked,  just  as  her  poor  husband 
had  done.  Then,  from  within,  they  heard  a  dog 
barking.  It  was  a  large  dog,  too,  and  the  women  and 
children  were  much  afraid. 

What  should  they  do?  They  were  afraid  to  knock 
again.  They  were  afraid  to  run  back,  lest  they  should 
offend  the  King.  They  were  afraid  to  stand  still  and 
wait. 

After  a  time,  Christiana  went  up,  trembling,  and 
knocked  again.  Then  the  keeper  of  the  gate  came,  and 
having  opened  the  wicket,  he  asked,  "Who  is  there?  " 

Christiana  answered  him  truthfully,  "I  am  the 
wife  of  Christian  who  once  did  pass  this  way,  and  these 
are  his  children  and  mine.  We  would  fain  journey 
onward,   through   this  gate,   to  the   Celestial   City." 

Then  the  keeper  took  her  by  the  hand  and  led  her 
in.  He  also  lifted  the  boys  over  the  threshold  and 
brought  them  through  the  gate. 


144  JOHN  BUNYAN'S  DREAM   STORY 

"Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,"  he  said, 
and  with  that,  he  shut  the  wicket. 

Now  all  this  while,  Mercy  stood  outside,  trembling 
and  crying ;  neither  did  she  venture  to  make  herself 
known.  When  Christiana  saw  that  the  maiden  had 
been  left  behind,  she  began  to  intercede  for  her.  "I 
have  a  dear  friend  who  is  waiting  outside,"  she  said. 
"She  is  on  the  same  errand  as  myself;  but  she  had 
not  the  courage  to  come  in,  seeing  that  no  one  has 
invited  her." 

At  that  moment  a  sudden  knocking  at  the  gate  was 
heard.  It  was  so  loud  that  it  startled  those  who  were 
within. 

"Who  is  there?"  cried  the  keeper. 

And  Christiana  answered,  "It  must  be  my  friend." 

So  he  opened  the  gate  and  looked  out.  But 
Mercy  had  fainted  and  had  fallen  upon  the  ground ; 
for  she  was  afraid  that  no  gate  would  be  opened 
to  her,  and  the  barking  of  the  dog  filled  her  with 
alarm. 

Then  the  keeper  took  her  by  the  hand  and  lifted  her 
up.  And  when  she  had  revived  a  little,  he  led  her 
gently  in  and  welcomed  her  to  the  place.  So  now  all 
were  safe  on  the  safe  side  of  the  wicket  gate  ;  and  while 


AT   THE   WICKET   GATE  145 

the  keeper  was  going  about  his  duties,  they  began  to 
rejoice. 

"How  glad  I  am  that  we  are  here  !"  said  Christiana. 

"So  may  we  all  well  be,"  said  Mercy,  "but  I  have 
indeed  cause  to  leap  for  joy/' 

"When  I  heard  that  savage  dog,  I  feared  that  we  were 
indeed  lost,"  said  Christiana.  "  I  had  scarcely  strength 
enough  to  knock." 

"It  was  the  same  way  with  myself,"  said  Mercy. 
"I  came  near  losing  all  hope." 

"  I  marvel  in  my  heart  why  the  keeper  has  such  an 
ugly  cur,"  said  Christiana.  "Had  I  known  it,  I  would 
never  have  had  the  courage  to  come  near  the  gate. 
But  now  that  we  are  in,  we  are  in,  and  I  am  glad." 

"Well,  the  next  time  he  comes  near  us,  I  will  ask 
him  why  he  keeps  such  a  filthy  beast  in  his  yard," 
said  Mercy. 

"Yes,  do!"  cried  all  the  boys;  "and  persuade  him 
to  kill  the  ugly  thing.  We  are  afraid  he  will  bite  us 
when  we  go  out." 

;  So,  presently,  when  the  keeper  came  again  by  the 
place  where  they  were  resting,  Mercy  asked  him, 
"Good  sir,  why  do  you  keep  that  cruel  dog  in  your 
yard  ?    We  are  all  much  afraid  of  him." 

DREAM  STORY  — -  10 


146  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

The  keeper  answered,  "The  dog  is  not  mine,  neither 
is  he  in  my  yard.  He  belongs  to  the  castle  which  you 
see  near  by,  and  the  castle  yard  comes  quite  close  to 
the  gate.  He  has  frightened  many  honest  pilgrims  by 
his  barking  ;  but  he  cannot  get  to  them  to  harm  them." 

"We  are  glad  of  that,"  said  the  boys. 

Then  Christiana  began  to  talk  of  their  journey, 
and  to  inquire  after  the  way.  So  the  keeper  of  the 
gate  brought  them  water  to  wash  their  feet ;  he  set  a 
table  before  them  and  gave  them  nourishing  food ; 
and  when  they  had  eaten  and  were  refreshed,  he  showed 
them  the  narrow  way  which  Christian  had  followed 
before  them. 

"This  is  the  King's  highway,"  he  said.  "Be  sure 
that  you  do  not  wander  from  it." 

So  they  thanked  him  for  all  his  kindness,  and  he 
bade  them  Godspeed  on  their  journey. 


THE   HOUSE   OF  THE   INTERPRETER 

NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Christiana  and 
Mercy,  with  the  four  boys,  went  onward  in  the 
way  they  had  been  shown,  and  the  weather  was  very 
comfortable  to  them. 

They  had  gone  only  a  little  distance  from  the  wicket 
gate  when  they  saw  a  pleasant  orchard  on  one  side  of 
the  road.  It  was  full  of  trees  bearing  all  manner  of 
beautiful  fruit,  and  some  of  these  trees  grew  so  close 
to  the  highway  that  their  branches  overhung  the  wall. 

So,  as  they  were  walking  along,  they  saw  on  the 
ground  many  ripe  apples  which  had  fallen  from  the 
branches.  These  apples  being  mellow  and  sweet, 
the  boys  picked  up  not  a  few  and  did  eat  some  of  them 
as  they  went.  But  soon  they  began  to  feel  sick,  and  all 
day  long  they  suffered  pain  and  were  sorry. 

147 


148  JOHN  BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"Well,  my  sons,"  said  Christiana,  "the  fruit  was  not 
yours,  and  you  should  not  have  touched  it."  But 
she  did  not  know  that  the  orchard  belonged  to  the 
giant  owner  of  the  castle.  If  she  had,  she  would  have 
been  filled  with  fear. 

So  they  went  on  until  they  came  to  the  Interpreter's 
house,  and  there  Christiana  knocked  as  she  had  done 
at  the  gate  before.  Now  when  she  had  knocked,  there 
came  to  the  door  a  maid  whose  name  was  Innocent. 
The  maid  opened  the  door  and  looked  ;  and  behold  two 
women  were  there. 

"What  is  it  that  you  wish  here?"  she  asked. 

Christiana  answered,  "We  are  pilgrims,  and  we  have 
been  told  we  would  find  a  friendly  welcome  here. 
The  day,  as  you  see,  is  far  spent,  and  we  cannot  well 
go  farther  to-night." 

"Pray,  what  is  your  name,  that  I  may  tell  it  to  my 
master  ?  "  said  Innocent. 

"My  name  is  Christiana,  and  I  am  the  wife  of  Chris- 
tian, who  passed  this  way  some  time  ago.  These  four 
boys  are  his  sons  and  mine,  and  this  maiden  is  my 
young  friend,  Mercy,  who  is  going  with  us  on  this 
pilgrimage." 

Then  Innocent  ran  joyfully  into  the  house  and  cried 


THE    HOUSE   OF  THE    INTERPRETER  149 

out,  "Only  think  who  is  at  the  door  !  It  is  Christiana 
and  her  children  and  her  companion,  and  they  wait  to 
be  lodged  and  entertained  here  to-night." 

Then  the  Interpreter  himself  went  to  the  door  and 
welcomed  them. 

"Come  in,  thou  faithful  one,"  he  said.  "Come, 
children,  come  in.     Come,  maiden,  come  in." 

So  he  led  them  into  the  great  room  of  the  house,  and 
bade  them  sit  down  and  rest.  And  all  who  were  of  the 
household  came  in  to  see  them :  and  one  smiled,  and 
another  smiled,  and  all  smiled  for  joy. 

Now,  while  supper  was  being  made  ready,  the  In- 
terpreter took  them  into  the  different  rooms  and  showed 
them  the  moving  pictures  and  the  other  wonderful 
things  which  he  had  shown  to  Christian  some  time 
before.  They  saw  the  two  children,  Patience  and 
Passion,  and  the  man  in  the  cage,  and  the  man  and  his 
dream,  and  other  instructive  and  curious  things. 

The  Interpreter  took  them  also  into  a  room  where 
there  was  a  man  with  his  eyes  always  turned  towards  the 
ground.  This  man  had  a  muck  rake  in  his  hands,  and 
he  did  nothing  but  rake  to  himself  the  straws  and  the 
sticks  and  the  dust  of  the  earth.  But  above  his  head 
there  was  a  golden  crown,  which  he  might  have  taken 


150  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

and  worn  had  he  only  looked  upward  and  desired  the 
best  gifts. 

"Straws  and  sticks  and  dust  are  the  great  things 
which  many  people  now  spend  their  time  in  raking 
together,"  said  the  Interpreter. 

Then  he  led  them  into  the  largest  room  of  the  house, 
and  a  very  brave  room  it  was.  "Tell  me  what  you  see 
here,"  he  said. 

They  looked  round  and  round,  but  there  was  noth- 
ing to  be  seen  but  a  big  spider  on  the  wall. 

"I  see  nothing,"  said  Mercy. 

"Look  again,"  said  the  Interpreter. 

"Well,  I  see  an  ugly  spider  hanging  on  the  wall," 
answered  Mercy. 

"Yes,  and  this  spider  teaches  us  a  lesson,"  said  the 
Interpreter.  "For  is  it  not  written,  'The  spider  taketh 
hold  with  her  hands,  and  is  in  kings'  palaces'?  So 
there  are  bad  and  loathly  things  even  in  the  highest 
places." 

Then  he  led  them  into  the  barnyard  and  showed  the 
boys  a  brood  of  chickens  drinking  at  a  trough.  And 
he  told  them  how  the  mother  hen  cared  for  them  and 
called  them  as  she  had  need. 

"She  has  a  common  call,  when  she  gives  them  noth- 


THE   HOUSE   OF   THE    INTERPRETER  151 

ing,"  he  said.  "She  has  a  special  call,  when  she  has 
something  good  for  them.  She  has  a  brooding  call, 
when  she  would  gather  them  under  her  wings.  And 
she  has  a  call  of  alarm  to  warn  them  of  danger.  Even 
so  does  our  King  call  us,  his  children." 

Then  he  led  them  into  his  garden  and  showed  them 
his  flowers. 

"See  how  different  these  flowers  are,"  he  said. 
"Some  are  tall,  some  are  short;  some  have  one  color, 
some  another ;  some  are  better  than  the  rest,  some 
worse.  But  they  stand  where  the  gardener  planted 
them  and  do  not  complain  of  their  lot." 

At  length  he  took  them  again  into  the  house ;  and 
when  supper  was  ready  they  all  sat  down  to  a  bounteous 
feast.  And  while  they  ate,  one  of  the  household  played 
sweet  music,  and  another  sang.  Thus  the  evening 
passed  pleasantly ;  and  that  night  the  pilgrims  rested 
from  their  weariness  and  were  greatly  refreshed. 

In  the  morning  they  rose  with  the  sun,  and  were 
soon  ready  to  renew  their  journey.  But  the  Interpreter 
would  not  let  them  go  until  they  had  bathed  them- 
selves in  a  fountain  in  his  garden. 

So  they  went  and  washed,  the  women  and  the  boys 
also.     And  they  came  out  of  that  bath  not  only  sweet 


152  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM   STORY 

and  clean,  but  much  enlivened  and  strengthened. 
And  they  looked  fairer  and  much  more  beautiful  than 
they  had  ever  looked  before. 

Then  the  Interpreter  bade  his  servants  give  them 
new  clothing,  fine  linen,  white  and  clean.  And  when 
they  were  clad  in  these  garments  they  stood  amazed, 
each  looking  at  the  others  and  wondering  because  of 
their  beauty. 

Finally,  the  Interpreter  called  for  a  man-servant  of 
his  whose  name  was  Greatheart. 

"Greatheart,"  said  he,  "arm  yourself  with  sword 
and  shield.  Put  on  your  helmet  and  your  coat  of 
mail.  Then  go  forth  with  these  my  daughters  and  these 
noble  boys,  and  protect  them  on  their  way.  Lead 
them  to  the  House  Beautiful,  which  will  be  their  next 
resting  place." 

So  Greatheart  took  his  weapons  and  went  out  before 
them.  The  Interpreter  bade  them  Godspeed,  and 
they  went  on  their  way  rejoicing. 


GREATHEART 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  they  went  on,  and 
Greatheart  walked  before  them.  The  way  was 
narrow  and  sometimes  steep,  but  they  were  refreshed 
and  strong,  and  so  they  felt  no  weariness. 

They  passed  the  place  where  Christian's  burden 
had  fallen  from  his  back ;  and  they  saw  the  tomb  into 
which  it  had  tumbled. 

They  passed  also  by  the  cliff  where  Christian  had 
seen  Simple,  Sloth,  and  Presumption  lying  asleep. 

Thus  they  went  on  till  they  came  to  the  foot  of  the 
Hill  Difficulty;  and  there  Greatheart  showed  them 
everything  that  would  interest  them  to  see. 

"Here,"  said  he,  "is  the  spring  that  Christian  drank 
from,  before  he  went  up  the  hill.  And  here  are  the 
two    byways  where    Formality  and    Hypocrisy  lost 

153 


154  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

themselves.  These  are  very  dangerous  paths.  They 
have  lately  been  stopped  up  with  posts  and  chains, 
as  you  see,  but  still  there  are  many  who  venture  into 
them  rather  than  take  the  pains  to  climb  the  hill." 

After  they  had  rested  a  little  while,  they  set  forward 
to  go  up  the  hill ;  and  Greatheart  led  the  way.  But 
before  they  got  to  the  top,  Christiana  began  to  pant 
for  very  weariness. 

"Surely,  this  is  a  breathing  hill,"  she  said ;  "I  don't 
wonder  that  some  people  try  to  go  around  it." 

Mercy,  too,  was  very  tired,  and  the  youngest  of  the 
boys  began  to  cry. 

"Come,  come,"  said  Greatheart,  "be  brave  a  little 
longer.  There  is  an  arbor  a  little  above,  and  there 
you  may  sit  down  and  rest." 

Then  he  took  the  little  boy  by  the  hand  and  led  him 
the  rest  of  the  way :  and  at  the  hardest  places  he  lifted 
him  and  carried  him. 

"Well,  how  do  you  like  being  a  pilgrim?"  he  asked, 
when  they  had  reached  the  top. 

"Very  well,  sir,  and  I  thank  you,"  answered  the  boy. 
"It  is  like  going  up  a  ladder  ;  but  I  would  rather  climb 
a  ladder  than  fall  into  a  pit." 

So  they  went  on  till  they  came  in  sight  of  the  lions. 


GREATHEART  155 

Now  Greatheart  was  a  strong  man  and  was  not 
afraid  of  the  beasts ;  but  the  boys  cringed  behind  him, 
and  were  much  alarmed. 

"Well,  well  !"  said  Greatheart.  "You  boys  were 
brave  when  there  was  no  danger ;  but  now  you  wish 
some  one  else  to  be  brave." 

Then  he  drew  his  sword  and  went  forward  to  meet 
the  lions ;  but  suddenly  an  ugly  giant  stood  in  the  road 
before  him.  The  name  of  this  giant  was  Grim,  and  it 
was  his  custom  to  waylay  pilgrims  who  were  going 
through  this  lonely  place. 

"How  now?"  he  cried  to  Greatheart.  "What 
are  you  doing  here?" 

Then  answered  the  brave  guide,  "These  women 
and  children  are  going  on  a  pilgrimage.  This  is  the 
way  they  must  go,  and  I  will  lead  them  safe  through 
in  spite  of  giants  and  lions." 

"Indeed,  you  shall  not,"  roared  Grim.  "You  shall 
not  go  past  me  and  my  lions." 

'  But  Greatheart  was  not  afraid.  He  said  not  another 
word,  but  rushed  upon  the  giant  with  his  sword.  The 
big  fellow  drew  back,  and  defended  himself  with  his  club. 

"Ha!  Do  you  think  you  will  slay  me  here  on  my 
own  ground?"  he  cried. 


156  JOHN   BUNYAN'S    DREAM   STORY 

"We  are  on  the  King's  highway,"  answered  Great- 
heart.  "You  shall  not  hinder  these  pilgrims  from 
passing." 

And  with  that  he  gave  the  giant  a  blow  which 
brought  him  to  his  knees.  With  that  same  blow  he 
broke  his  helmet,  and  with  the  next  he  cut  off  his  arm. 

The  giant  roared  so  hideously  that  the  women  and 
children  were  greatly  frightened.  But  when  they 
saw  him  sprawling   on  the  ground   they  were  glad. 

Now  the  lions  were  all  the  time  roaring,  and  tugging 
at  their  chains ;  and  the  noise  was  so  great  and  fearful 
that  the  pilgrims  would  have  fled  in  terror  had  it  not 
been  for  their  guide.  But  he,  taking  the  little  boy  by 
the  hand,  said  to  the  others,  "Come,  now,  and  follow 
me.     No  hurt  shall  happen  to  you  from  the  lions." 

So  they  went  on,  but  the  women  trembled  as  they 
passed  the  raging  beasts.  The  boys  looked  as  if  they 
would  die  of  fear ;  but  they  clung  close  to  their  guide, 
and  all  got  by  in  safety. 

And  now,  looking  up,  they  saw  the  House  Beautiful 
not  far  ahead  of  them ;  and  going  on  with  haste,  they 
soon  came  to  the  porter's  lodge.  Night  was  already 
come,  and  all  was  dark  and  silent  within.  But  Great- 
heart  went  up  to  the  gate  and  knocked  loudly. 


GREATHEART  157 


«• 


Who  is  there?"  cried  the  porter. 

"It  is  I,"  answered  Greatheart. 

The  porter  knew  his  voice,  for  the  brave  guide  had 
been  there  many  times  before.  He  hurried  down  and 
opened  the  gate ;  and  when  he  saw  Greatheart  standing 
there,  he  said,  "  How  now,  Mr.  Greatheart  ?  What  is 
your  business  here  so  late  at  night?"  For  he  did 
not  see  the  women  and  children  who  were  behind  him 
in  the  darkness. 

"I  have  brought  some  pilgrims,"  answered  the 
guide.     "They  wish  to  lodge  here  and  rest  for  a  while." 

"They  are  indeed  welcome,"  said  the  porter.  "But 
why  are  you  so  late?" 

"We  should  have  come  much  earlier,"  said  Great- 
heart,  "but  we  were  hindered  by  old  Giant  Grim  who 
has  often  waylaid  pilgrims  and  helped  the  lions.  I  had 
a  long  and  hard  fight  with  him,  and  I  guess  he  will  give 
no  further  trouble." 

"Well,  well!  That  is  good  news,"  said  the  porter. 
"Now  come  in  and  stay  till  morning." 

"The  pilgrims  will  go  in,"  answered  Greatheart, 
"but  I  must  return  at  once  to  my  master." 

Then  Christiana  spoke  up  and  thanked  him.  "You 
have   been    so   loving   and    faithful,    and   you    have 


158  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM   STORY 

fought  so  stoutly  for  us.  How  can  we  go  on  without 
you?" 

"Yes,"  said  Mercy,  "we  should  have  perished  if 
you  had  not  led  us.  Oh,  that  we  might  have  your 
company  to  our  journey's  end  !" 

Then  the  little  boy  took  him  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"Oh,  sir,  won't  you  go  on  with  us  and  help  us?  We 
are  so  weak,  and  the  way  is  so  rough  and  dangerous !" 

"I  must  obey  my  master,"  answered  Greatheart. 
"To-night  I  must  return  to  him.  But  if  he  shall 
afterwards  bid  me  be  your  guide,  I  will  gladly  come 
and  wait  on  you.    And  so  I  bid  you  adieu." 

And  with  that  he  turned  and  went  back  through  the 
darkness. 


AT   THE   HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL 

NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  porter  led  the  pil- 
grims into  the  House  Beautiful.  He  said  to  those 
who  were  within,  "Here  is  the  wife  of  Christian,  with 
her  children  and  her  young  friend  Mercy.  They  have 
come  hither  on  a  pilgrimage." 

Then  Prudence  and  Piety  and  Charity,  the  good 
women  of  the  house,  hastened  to  welcome  her. 

"Come  in,  Christiana,"  they  said.  "Come  in, 
thou  wife  of  that  good  man.  Come  in,  thou  blessed 
woman.     Come  in,  with  all  that  are  with  thee." 

So  she  went  in,  and  the  rest  followed  her.  And  they 
were  very  weary  of  their  journey,  and  it  was  late ;  also 
they  were  faint  with  the  fright  they  had  been  in  be- 
cause of  the  giant  and  the  lions.  So  they  desired,  as 
soon  as  might  be,  to  be  shown  to  their  rooms. 

159 


160  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

"Nay,"  said  Charity  and  Prudence,  "you  must  first 
refresh  yourselves  with  a  morsel  of  meat." 

Then  they  were  led  to  a  table  where  food  was  offered 
them  in  plenty ;  and  they  ate  and  were  refreshed. 
When  they  had  supped,  they  were  taken  to  their  places 
of  rest ;  and  Christiana  and  Mercy  were  given  the  same 
room  in  which  Christian  had  slept  when  he  was  there 
before  them ;  and  the  name  of  that  room  was  Peace. 

Now  as  they  lay  composing  themselves  to  sleep, 
Mercy  suddenly  cried  out,  "Hark  !  Do  you  hear  that 
sound?" 

"  Yes,"  said  Christiana ;  "  I  do  believe  it  is  the  sound 
of  music.  They  are  having  music  for  joy  that  we  are 
here." 

"Wonderful!"  said  Mercy.  "Music  in  the  house, 
music  in  the  heart,  music  everywhere  for  joy  !" 

So  they  lay  quietly  and  listened,  and  soon  fell  asleep. 

Now  when  the  morrow  was  come,  the  sisters  of  the 
house  would  in  no  wise  consent  that  the  pilgrims  should 
go  forward.  "Tarry  with  us  for  awhile,"  they  said. 
"The  summer  is  yet  long,  and  there  is  no  haste  that 
you  should  finish  your  pilgrimage." 

They,  therefore,  abode  in  the  House  Beautiful, 
not  only  one  day,  but  two  and  many  more.     And  every 


AT   THE    HOUSE    BEAUTIFUL  lfil 

day  they  saw  some  new  sight  or  learned  some  new  and 
striking  truth ;  and  their  hearts  were  filled  with  joy 
and  peace. 

It  so  chanced  that  a  young  man  whose  name  was  Mr. 
Brisk  came  often  to  the  house  to  see  the  sisters  and  to 
talk  with  them  about  the  many  things  that  were  of 
interest  to  them  all.  He  was  a  very  busy  little  man, 
bustling  hither  and  thither,  and  making  believe  that 
he  was  serving  the  King. 

The  maidens  of  the  house  had  some  doubts  of  him, 
and  Prudence  and  Piety  treated  him  quite  coldly. 
But  Charity  said,  "Let  us  think  no  wrong  of  him;" 
and  so  his  visits  were  continued,  and  every  one  hoped 
that  he  might  prove  to  be  as  good  as  he  pretended. 

Now  when  Mr.  Brisk  saw  Mercy,  how  fair  and  gentle 
she  was,  he  began  to  admire  her  very  much.  He  cared 
no  more  for  the  company  of  Piety  or  of  Charity ;  but 
every  day  he  came  to  see  the  sweet  face  of  Mercy 
and  to  listen  to  her  pleasant  voice.  But  most  of  all, 
he  took  notice  that  she  was  never  idle ;  and  he  said  to 
himself,  "A  maiden  so  diligent  would  make  the  best 
wife  in  the  world." 

But  Mercy's  mind  was  full  of  thoughts  for  the  good 
of  others ;  and  when  she  had  nothing  to  do  for  herself, 

DREAM    STOKY  11 


"Mr.  Brisk  came  in  and  found  her  at  her  Old  Work" 

162 


AT   THE   HOUSE    BEAUTIFUL  163 

she  would  be  knitting  or  sewing  and  making  garments 
for  the  needy. 

One  day  when  she  was  alone,  Mr.  Brisk  came  in  and 
found  her  at  her  old  work,  making  things  for  the  poor. 

"What !  always  at  it  ?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  she  answered,  "  either  for  myself  or  for  others." 

"And  how  much  can  you  earn  in  a  day?"  he  asked. 

"  I  make  these  things  for  the  love  of  others,  and  not 
for  pay,"  she  answered. 

"What  do  you  do  with  them?"  said  he. 

"I  give  them  to  those  who  are  most  in  need,"  she 
said,  simply.  "  It  is  better  to  clothe  the  naked  and  feed 
the  hungry  than  to  lay  up  treasures." 

With  that,  the  young  man's  countenance  fell,  and 
he  soon  took  his  leave. 

Some  days  afterward,  Prudence  said  to  him,  "We 
do  not  see  you  at  the  house  any  more.  Has  Mercy 
no  more  charms  for  you  ?" 

"Well,  indeed,"  he  answered,  "I  think  Mercy  is  a 
pretty  girl,  but  her  habits  are  not  such  as  a  busy  man 
can  admire." 

And  that  was  the  last  of  his  visits  to  the  House 
Beautiful. 

About  this  time   Matthew,  the   eldest  of  the  four 


164  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM  STORY 

boys,  fell  sick.  He  was  so  sick  that  his  mother  feared 
he  would  die ;  and  so  a  doctor  was  called  in.  The 
name  of  the  doctor  was  Skill ;  and  when  he  saw  the 
boy  he  knew  at  once  what  ailed  him. 

"What  kind  of  food  has  Matthew  been  eating?" 
asked  Dr.  Skill. 

"The  food  that  is  set  before  us  here  by  the  sisters 
of  the  House  Beautiful,"  answered  Christiana.  "He 
has  had  only  that  which  is  most  wholesome." 

"But  he  is  sick  of  something  that  he  ate  before  he 
came  to  this  place,"  said  the  doctor.  "He  has  some- 
thing in  his  stomach  that  won't  digest,  and  it  has  been 
there  a  long  time." 

Then  Samuel,  the  second  son,  spoke  up  and  said, 
"Mother,  don't  you  remember  the  orchard  we  passed 
just  this  side  of  the  Wicket  Gate  ?  The  trees  hung 
over  the  wall,  and  we  picked  up  some  of  the  fruit  that 
had  fallen  on  the  highway." 

"True,  my  child,"  said  Christiana.  "And  I  scolded 
you  all  for  eating  of  those  apples." 

"I  took  only  a  bite,"  said  Samuel,  "but  Matthew 
ate  more  than  one." 

"There!"  said  Dr.  Skill.  "I  knew  the  symptoms, 
and  it  is  that  fruit  that  has  made  him  sick.     That 


AT   TIIK    HOUSE   BEAUTIFUL  165 

was  Beelzebub's  orchard,  and  the  fruit  which  grows 
on  his  trees  is  very  poisonous." 

Then  the  physician  made  up  some  pills  which  he 
gave  to  Matthew,  and  the  boy,  though  he  made  wry 
faces  and. cried  bitterly,  was  forced  to  swallow  them. 
The  next  day  the  sickness  began  to  leave  him,  and  soon 
he  was  able  to  walk  about  the  house  and  the  garden. 

And  now  the  time  was  about  come  for  the  pilgrims  to 
renew  their  journey ;  but,  just  as  they  were  getting  ready 
to  depart,  some  one  knocked  on  the  door. 

The  porter  opened  it,  and  behold,  there  was 
Greatheart,  the  guide,  standing  on  the  threshold.  He 
had  on  his  armor,  and  his  sword  and  shield  were  at 
his  side.  How  joyful  the  pilgrims  were  to  see 
him  ! 

"I  have  come  to  guide  and  protect  you  during  the 
rest  of  your  journey,"  he  said.  "And  here  is  a  bottle  of 
wine  and  some  parched  corn  which  my  master  has  sent 
for  each  of  you.  He  has  also  sent  the  boys  some  figs 
and  raisins,  to  refresh  them  on  the  way." 

Soon  they  were  ready  to  depart.  They  thanked  the 
porter  for  his  kindness,  and  again  set  their  feet  on  the 
King's  highway.  And  Piety,  Prudence,  and  Charity 
walked  a  little  way  with  them. 


THROUGH    THE    VALLEY    OF    HUMILIATION 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims  began 
to  go  down  the  hill  into  the  Valley  of  Humiliation. 
It  was  a  steep  hill,  and  the  way  was  slippery ;  but 
they  were  very  careful,  and  so  got  down  pretty  well. 

There  the  sisters  of  the  House  Beautiful  bade  them 
farewell.  "It  was  in  this  valley,"  said  they,  "that 
Christian  met  the  foul  fiend,  Apollyon.  But  be  of 
good  courage.  You  have  Mr.  Greatheart  to  defend 
you."  So  they  commended  the  pilgrims  to  the  care 
of  their  guide,  and  returned  to  their  home. 

Then  Greatheart  walked  on  before  them,  and  as  he 
walked  he  talked  to  them  about  the  beauty  and  fruit- 
fulness  of  the  valley. 

'We  need  not  be  afraid,"  said  he,  "for  here  is  noth- 

166 


THROUGH    THE   VALLEY   OP  HUMILIATION       167 

ing  to  hurt  us  unless  we  bring  it  upon  ourselves.  The 
Valley  of  Humiliation  is  as  fruitful  a  place  as  any  the 
crow  flies  over.  It  is  fat  ground,  and  is  covered  with 
green  meadows.  And  see  how  these  are  beautified 
with  lilies!" 

As  they  were  thus  going  along  and  talking,  they  saw 
a  boy  watching  his  father's  sheep.  The  boy  was  very 
poorly  dressed,  but  his  face  was  fresh  and  rosy  ;  and  as 
he  sat  by  himself,  he  sang. 

"Hark!"  said  Greatheart.  "Be  still  and  listen 
to  his  song." 

So  they  stood  and  listened  ;  and  these  are  the  words 
they  heard  — 

"He  that  is  down  needs  fear  no  fall, 
He  that  is  low,  no  pride ; 
He  that  is  humble  ever  shall 
Have  God  to  be  his  guide. 

"I  am  content  with  what  I  have, 
Little  be  it  or  much  : 
And,  Lord,  contentment  still  I  crave, 
Because  thou  lovest  such." 

"Hear  him,"  said  Greatheart.  "I  will  dare  say 
that  this  boy  is  merrier,  and  wears  more  of  the  herb 


168  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

called  heartsease,  than  many  a  person  who  is  clad 
in  silk  and  velvet." 

Then  they  walked  on,  and  all  were  happy  because 
of  the  beauties  of  the  place. 

"This  valley  suits  me  well,"  said  Mercy;  "for  here 
there  is  no  rattling  with  coaches  nor  rumbling  with 
wheels.  Here  one  may  walk  in  quiet,  and  think  about 
things  that  are  beautiful  and  true." 

"Yes,"  answered  Greatheart,  "this  is  a  valley  that 
nobody  walks  in  but  those  who  love  a  pilgrim's  life. 
Here  one  is  free  from  noise  and  the  hurryings  of  busi- 
ness. It  was  here  that  our  Prince  once  loved  to  walk ; 
for  the  meadows  are  very  beautiful  and  the  air  is 
pleasant." 

Soon  they  came  to  the  place  where  Christian  had 
fought  the  fiend  Apollyon ;  and  Greatheart  pointed 
out  to  the  boys  each  noted  spot  in  that  field  of 
battle. 

"Here  is  where  your  father  stood  when  he  first  saw 
Apollyon  coming.  Here  is  where  the  fiend  fell  upon 
him,  and  on  these  stones  you  may  still  see  the  marks 
of  his  blood.  Here  are  some  of  the  splinters  of  Apollyon's 
broken  darts.  And  see  here,  how  they  did  beat  the 
ground  with  their  feet  as  they  fought  to  make  good 


THROUGH   THE   VALLEY   OF   HUMILIATION       169 

their  places  against  each  other.  And  here  is  where 
Apollyon  turned  his  back  and  fled  from  the  valley. 
Verily,  your  father  did  play  the  man  here." 

Then  he  led  them  a  little  farther,  and  showed  them 
a  monument  that  had  been  set  up  there  in  honor  of 
Christian's  victory.  They  stood  around  it  and  re- 
joiced, and  one  of  the  boys  read  aloud  the  writing  that 
was  engraved  upon  it : 

"Hard  by  here,  was  a  battle  fought, 
Most  strange  and  yet  most  true ; 
Christian  and  Apollyon  sought 
Each  other  to  subdue. 

"The  man  so  bravely  played  the  man 
He  made  the  fiend  to  fly ; 
Of  which  a  monument  I  stand, 
The  same  to  testify." 


THROUGH   THE   VALLEY   OF   THE   SHADOW 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims  had 
come  upon  the  borders  of  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow 
of  Death.  This  valley  was  longer  than  the  other,  and 
it  was  strangely  haunted  with  evil  things.  But  the 
women  and  children  went  into  it  the  more  bravely 
because  they  had  Greatheart  for  their  guide. 

The  first  sound  they  heard  was  a  great  groaning, 
which  seemed  to  fill  the  whole  place.  Then  they  heard 
strange  shouts  and  screams ;  and  as  they  went  farther, 
they  felt  the  ground  to  shake  under  them,  as  if  some 
hollow  place  was  there. 

"Oh,  when  shall  we  get  through  this  doleful  place?" 
asked  one  of  the  boys. 

Then  the  guide  took  the  two  younger  ones  by  the 
hand  to  lead  them.     "Be  of  good  courage,"  he  said 

170 


THROUGH   THE   VALLEY   OF   THE    SHADOW  171 

to  those  behind.  "  Look  well  to  your  feet,  lest  you  step 
in  some  snare." 

When  they  had  come  to  about  the  middle  of  the 
valley,   Christiana  stopped  suddenly. 

"I  see  something  in  the  road  before  us,"  she  said. 
"It  is  a  strange  shape,  unlike  anything  I  have  seen 
before." 

"What  is  it,  mother?"  asked  James,  the  little  boy. 

"An  ugly  thing,  child;   an  ugly  thing." 

"But,  mother,  what  is  it  like?" 

"  I  cannot  tell  what  it  is  like.  Now  it  is  near ;  now 
it  is  far  off ;  now  it  is  near  again." 

"Well,  well !"  said  Greatheart.  "Let  all  keep  close 
to  me." 

Then  he  went  forward  with  his  sword  drawn.  The 
strange  shape  came  on,  and  he  struck  it  a  fierce  blow. 
Then  the  shape  vanished  and  was  seen  no  more. 

So  they  went  on  more  bravely.  But  Mercy,  look- 
ing behind  her,  saw  a  great  lion  following  after  them ; 
and  now  it  gave  a  roar  so  deep  and  loud  that  all  the 
valley  echoed  with  the  sound. 

The  hearts  of  all  ached  with  fear.  But  Greatheart 
went  behind,  and  set  them  in  the  road  before  him. 
Then  he  stood  his  ground  to  give  battle  to  the  lion. 


172  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

The  beast  paused ;  it  roared  once  again  at  the  brave 
man  who  dared  stand  against  it ;  and  then  it  drew  back 
and  came  no  farther. 

They  went  on  again,  and  Greatheart  led  them  as 
before.  And  now  a  vast  pit  yawned  before  them  and 
seemed  to  cover  the  whole  road ;  and  a  great  mist  and 
darkness  fell  around  them 

"Stand  still,  and  wait,"  said  Greatheart.  And  as 
they  stood  and  trembled,  a  light  shone  through  the 
darkness,  and  they  saw  their  way  clearly  past  the  mouth 
of  the  pit. 

So  on  they  went;  and  one  of  the  boys  said,  "When 
shall  we  see  the  end  of  this  valley?" 

"Look  well  to  your  feet,"  said  the  guide;  "for  you 
are  among  the  snares  and  the  pitfalls." 

They  looked  to  their  feet,  and  went  on  ;  but  they  were 
much  troubled  by  the  snares. 

At  length  they  drew  towards  the  end  of  the  valley; 
and  there  they  saw  a  cave  where  in  former  times 
many  giants  dwelt.  But  now  the  worst  of  these  giants 
had  grown  so  old  and  feeble  that  they  could  do  nothing 
but  sit  in  the  door  of  the  cave  and  grin  at  the  pilgrims 
who  were  passing. 

Suddenly,  however,  one  giant  who  was  younger  than 


THROUGH   THE   VALLEY    OF   THE   SHADOW  173 

the  others,  came  out  to  meet  Greatheart  and  his  com- 
pany. The  name  of  this  giant  was  Maul,  and  he  had 
slain  many  pilgrims  through  his  cunning. 

"Hello,  Greatheart !"  he  cried.  "How  many  times 
have  you  been  forbidden  to  do  those  things  ?" 

"What  things?"  asked  Greatheart. 

"You  know  what  things:  but  I  will  put  an  end 
to  your  trade,"  roared  the  giant. 

"Well,"  said  Greatheart,  "before  we  begin  to  fight, 
let  us  know  what  it  is  about." 

Now  the  women  and  children  stood  trembling  in  the 
roadway,  and  knew  not  what  to  do.  But  Greatheart 
stood  before  them  with  his  sword  drawn.  "Explain 
your  words,"  he  said  to  the  giant. 

"You  rob  the  country,"  said  Maul.  "You  rob  it 
in  the  very  worst  way,  and  I  have  come  out  to  punish 
you." 

"Come,  fellow,"  answered  Greatheart,  "speak 
plainly,  and  say  what  you  mean." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Maul,  "you  are  a  kidnapper. 
You  kidnap  women  and  children  and  take  them  into 
a  strange  country,  as  you  are  doing  now." 

But  Greatheart  answered,  "It  is  false.  I  serve  my 
master  by  protecting  the  weak,  by  lifting  up  those  who 


174  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

are  fallen,  and  by  leading  them  in  the  right  way.  If 
you  wish  to  fight  with  me,  I  am  ready  for  you." 

The  giant  came  up,  and  Gieatheart  went  to  meet 
him ;  and  as  he  went  he  lifted  up  his  sword,  but  the 
giant  had  a  club. 

So  now  they  began;  and  at  the  first  blow  the  giant 
struck  Greatheart  down  upon  one  of  his  knees.  With 
that  the  women  and  children  cried  out  in  great  dismay, 
but  Greatheart  soon  recovered  himself  and  was  up 
again.  Then  he  laid  about  him  with  skill  and  strength 
and  gave  the  giant  a  wound  in  the  arm.  And  thus  they 
fought  for  a  whole  hour  in  the  heat  of  the  sun. 

Then  they  sat  down  and  rested  awhile;  and  when 
they  had  taken  breath,  they  leaped  up  and  began  fight- 
ing again.  And  Greatheart  with  a  full  blow  brought 
the  giant  down  to  the  ground. 

"Hold!  hold!"  cried  Maul.  "Give  me  a  fair 
chance." 

So  Greatheart  let  him  get  up ;  and  when  they  had 
breathed  again  they  went  at  it  even  harder  than  before. 
The  giant  raised  his  club  aloft  and  struck  with  full 
force  at  Greatheart's  head ;  and  had  not  the  brave 
man  leaped  quickly  aside,  his  skull  would  surely  have 
been  crushed. 


THROUGH    THE   VALLEY  OP  THE   SHADOW      175 

But  now  Greatheart  made  a  fierce  thrust  with  his 
sword.  It  pierced  the  giant's  huge  body  just  under 
the  fifth  rib,  and  the  blood  rushed  out.  The  fight 
was  ended  ;  for  Giant  Maul  fell  helpless  to  the  ground, 
and  his  club  dropped  from  his  hands. 

Then  the  women  and  children  rejoiced  because  they 
had  been  delivered  from  so  great  peril.  And  they 
went  on,  following  their  guide,  until  they  were  safe  on 
the  farther  side  of  the  valley. 


THE   NEW  TOWN  OF  VANITY 


THEN  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims  journeyed 
through  many  scenes.  They  also  met  with  or 
overtook  many  people  who  like  themselves  were  bound 
for  the  Celestial  City.  They  stopped  also  at  divers 
places,  where  they  were  entertained  by  friendly  folk 
who  loved  the  King.  They  toiled  through  rough  ways ; 
they  climbed  steep  hills ;  they  encountered  perils  not 
a  few.  But  they  faltered  not,  neither  were  afraid ; 
for  Greatheart  went  before  them  and  was  their 
guide. 

At  last,  on  a  summer  evening,  they  came  to  the  town 
of  Vanity,  where  Vanity  Fair  was  held.  Here  they 
were  received  at  the  house  of  a  citizen  who  was  friendly 
to  pilgrims ;  and  here  they  abode  a  long  time. 

For  the  town  had  changed  much  since  Christian  and 

176 


THK   NEW  TOWN'    OF   VANITY  177 

Faithful  were  so  shamefully  handled  there.  Indeed, 
it  seemed  that  the  blood  of  Faithful  had  changed  the 
hearts  of  many  of  the  people,  and  pilgrims  were  no 
more  annoyed  in  the  streets. 

Now  while  Christiana  and  her  boys,  with  Mercy  and 
Greatheart,  tarried  here,  there  came  a  great  monster 
out  of  the  woods.  It  slew  many  of  the  people  of  the 
town,  and  carried  away  some  of  the  children.  No  man 
dared  face  this  monster ;  but  every  one  fled  when  the 
noise  of  his  coming  was  heard. 

This  monster  was  like  unto  no  other  beast  in  the 
world.  Its  body  was  like  that  of  a  dragon,  and  it  had 
seven  heads  and  ten  horns. 

Now  when  Greatheart  heard  of  this  beast,  he  agreed 
with  certain  good  men  of  the  place  to  go  forth  and  give 
battle  to  it.  For  he  wished  to  deliver  the  people  from 
the  paws  and  mouth  of  so  dreadful  a  creature. 

Then  did  he,  with  four  companions  good  and  true, 
go  forth  to  meet  the  monster.  You  should  have  seen 
them  with  their  armor  and  their  well-made  weapons. 

When  the  fierce  creature  first  beheld  them,  it  lifted 
up  its  heads  with  great  disdain.  It  would  fain  have 
made  way  with  them  had  they  not  boldly  stood  their 
ground.     But,  being  sturdy  men  at  arms,  they  so  be- 

DREAM    STORY 12 


'This  Monster  was  like  unto  no  Other  Beast' 

178 


THE    NEW    TOWN   OF   VANITY  179 

labored  it  with  their  swords  and  clubs  that  it  was  glad 
to  return  to  its  lair. 

Often,  after  this,  did  the  monster  come  again  into 
the  town  to  carry  away  the  children.  But  Greatheart 
and  his  valiant  men  were  always  on  the  watch,  and 
drove  it  back  with  many  blows.  Soon  it  became  so 
lame  by  reason  of  its  wounds  that  it  could  do  no  further 
harm  ;  and  some  believe  that  it  died  of  the  hurts  which 
it  received. 

Thus  Greatheart  became  a  person  of  great  fame  in 
the  town  ;  and  many  besought  him  to  remain  and  make 
his  home  there.  But  he  remembered  the  commands 
of  his  master ;  and  when  the  time  came  that  the  pil- 
grims must  go  on  their  way,  he  girded  on  his  armor 
and  went  before  them. 


DOUBTING    CASTLE 


I  SAW  now  in  my  dream  that  they  went  on  till  they 
came  to  the  river  that  was  on  this  side  of  the 
Delectable  Mountains.  This  was  the  river  where  fine 
trees  grew  on  the  banks ;  and  the  leaves  of  these  trees 
were  good  for  medicine.  The  meadows  also  were  green 
all  the  year ;  and  there  were  shady  places  where  they 
might  lie  down  and  rest  with  safety. 

In  the  meadows  there  were  sheep  pasturing,  and  folds 
for  the  sheep.  There  were  also  little  houses  for  shelter- 
ing the  lambs.  And  One  was  there  who  loved  these 
lambs ;  he  gathered  them  in  his  arms,  he  carried  them 
in  his  bosom,  he  gently  led  them. 

So  as  the  pilgrims  went  on  their  way,  they  were  filled 
with  delight  because  of  the  delicious  waters,  the  pleas- 
ant meadows,  the  dainty  flowers,  and  the  wholesome 

180 


DOUBTING   CASTLE  181 

fruit.  And  they  would  have  tarried  there  long,  had  not 
duty  urged  them  to  go  onward. 

Therefore,  leaving  the  pleasant  river,  they  came  in 
due  time  to  By-path  Meadow ;  and  there  they  saw  the 
stile  over  which  Christian  and  Hopeful  went  when  they 
were  taken  by  Giant  Despair. 

There  they  sat  down,  and  consulted  what  they  had 
best  do. 

"I  have  a  mind,"  said  Greatheart,  "to  go  over  and 
demolish  the  castle  of  old  Giant  Despair.  He  may  have 
some  pilgrims  shut  up  in  his  dungeon,  and  I  should  be 
glad  to  set  them  free." 

"That  is  a  good  thought,  Mr.  Greatheart,"  said 
Matthew.     "I  will  go  with  you." 

But  some  of  the  others  were  timid  and  made  excuses. 
"I  very  much  doubt  if  we  ought  to  leave  the  King's 
highway  even  though  it  be  to  destroy  Doubting  Castle," 
said  one. 

"We  had  better  go  on  and  leave  well  enough  alone," 
said  another. 

Then  Greatheart  stood  up  and  drew  his  sword. 
"My  master  has  commanded  me  to  fight  the  good 
fight,"  said  he;  "and  with  whom  should  I  fight  this 
good  fight  if  not  with  Giant  Despair?" 


182  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

So  saying,  he  climbed  right  over  the  stile.  "  Who  will 
go  with  me?"  he  said. 

"I  will,"  said  one  and  another  of  Christiana's  sons. 

"I  will,"  said  another  pilgrim  who  had  joined  them 
on  the  road ;  and  soon,  leaving  the  women  in  a  safe 
place,  the  brave  men  and  boys  went  straight  up  to 
Doubting  Castle  to  look  for  Giant  Despair. 

When  they  came  to  the  castle  gate  they  knocked 
with  unusual  noise. 

The  old  giant  heard  them  and  came  out ;  and  his  wife, 
Diffidence,  was  with  him. 

"Who  dares  to  make  that  great  noise  on  my  gate?" 
he  roared  in  anger. 

"It  is  I,  Greatheart,"  answered  the  guide.  "Open 
this  gate  and  let  me  in." 

"What  is  your  business  with  me?"  asked  the  giant. 

"  I  am  the  servant  of  the  King,"  answered  Greatheart, 
"and  I  have  come  to  demolish  your  Doubting  Castle." 

Now  Giant  Despair  was  not  afraid  of  any  man,  for 
he  was  a  giant.  So  he  harnessed  himself  and  went  out. 
He  had  a  cap  of  steel  upon  his  head  ;  a  breastplate  of 
fire  was  on  his  arm ;  and  he  came  out  in  iron  shoes, 
with  a  great  club  in  his  hand. 

Then  Greatheart  and  his  helpers  made  up  to  him, 


DOUBTING   CASTLE  183 

and  beset  him  behind  and  before.     They  fought  for 
their  lives.     They  struggled  long  and  hard. 

At  length  Giant  Despair  was  brought  to  the  ground  ; 
but  he  was  loath  to  give  up.  He  fought  after  he  was 
down,  and  he  would  have  been  up  again  had  not 
Greatheart  given  him  one  final  stroke  with  his  sword, 
and  thus  ended  his  cruel  life. 

Then  all  went  through  the  gate  and  began  to  de- 
molish Doubting  Castle.  But  this  was  a  great  task, 
even  though  Giant  Despair  was  dead.  They  toiled 
seven  days,  and  left  not  one  stone  upon  another. 

In  the  dungeon  they  found  two  pilgrims,  whom  the 
giant  had  shut  up.  These  were  Despondency,  almost 
starved  to  death,  and  Miss  Much-afraid,  who  was  his 
daughter.  How  glad  these  two  people  were  to  see  the 
sunlight  again ! 

Now  when  they  had  finished  with  the  castle  they  went 
back  to  the  highway,  where  they  had  left  the  women ; 
and  all  rejoiced  and  were  glad. 

Christiana  played  a  merry  tune  upon  the  viol,  and 
Mercy  joined  her  upon  the  lute.  And  since  all  were  so 
merry,  what  should  they  do  but  dance  right  there  in 
the  road.  Even  the  damsel,  Much-afraid,  joined  them  ; 
and,  I  promise  you,  she  footed  it  well. 


In  the  Dungeon  they  found  two  Pilgrims" 
184 


DOUBTING   CASTLE  185 

As  for  Despondency,  the  music  was  not  much  to 
him.  He  was  for  feeding  rather  than  dancing,  for  he 
was  almost  starved.  So  Christiana  gave  him  a  little 
wine  and  prepared  him  something  to  eat ;  and  in  a  little 
while  he  came  to  himself  and  was  finely  revived. 

Then  the  company  of  pilgrims  went  forward  again. 
And  Greatheart  walked  before  them,  and  was  their 
guide. 


IN  PERIL  IN  THE  ENCHANTED  GROUND 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  pilgrims,  by  and 
by,  came  to  the  Delectable  Mountains,  where 
Christian  and  Hopeful  had  aforetime  refreshed  them- 
selves. There  the  shepherds  met  them  and  welcomed 
them,  and  there  they  rested  themselves  from  their 
toilsome  journey. 

Then  they  went  on,  and  in  due  time  were  got  to  the 
Enchanted  Ground.  There  the  air  was  heavy,  and  all 
who  breathed  it  were  filled  with  drowsiness.  The  ground 
also  was,  for  the  most  part,  overgrown  with  briers  and 
brambles.  But,  here  and  there  were  enchanted  arbors, 
in  which  were  flowers  and  birds  and  rippling  brooks 
and  mossy  beds  inviting  one  to  tarry  and  rest. 

The  flowers,  however,  were  laden  with  deadly  per- 
fumes ;    the  birds  sang  songs  of  witchery ;    and  the 

186 


IN   PERIL   IN    THE    ENCHANTED   GROUND        187 

tinkling  of  the  brooks  lulled  the  unwary  to  sleep.  And 
he  who  gave  himself  up  to  slumber  in  these  places  was 
not  likely  to  rise  or  wake  again  in  this  world. 

Through  this  wilderness  way  they  therefore  went; 
and  Greatheart  went  before  them,  for  he  was  their 
guide.  They  went  on  here,  each  man  with  his  sword 
drawn  in  his  hand,  for  they  knew  it  was  a  dangerous 
place. 

Now,  they  had  not  gone  far  when  a  great  mist  fell 
upon  them  all,  so  that  they  could  scarce  see  one  another. 
They  were  therefore  forced  to  grope  their  way,  being 
guided  by  the  voice  of  Greatheart ;  for  they  walked  not 
by  sight.  Sorry  going  it  was  for  the  best  of  them  all ; 
but  worse  for  the  women  and  children,  whose  feet  and 
hearts  were  tender. 

Nor  was  there  in  all  this  wilderness  way  any  inn  where 
they  might  lodge  and  refresh  themselves.  But  there  was 
much  puffing  and  sighing  and  complaining.  Now  one 
would  tumble  over  a  bush,  another  would  stick  fast 
in  the  dirt,  and  still  another  would  lose  his  shoes  in  the 
mire. 

At  length  they  came  to  an  arbor,  warm  and  shady, 
with  pleasant  mossy  seats  offering  rest.  Here,  too,  was 
a  couch  whereon  they  might  lie ;    and  here  were  all 


188  JOHN    BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

things  that  could  tempt  the  weary  traveler.  But  not 
one  of  the  pilgrims  would  seek  rest  or  loiter  there  a 
moment ;  for  their  guide  had  told  them  of  the  dangers 
of  the  place. 

They  therefore  went  on,  and  the  way  grew  dark 
again  so  that  they  could  not  see.  And  here  even  the 
guide  was  apt  to  lose  his  way.  But  he  had  in  his  pocket 
a  map  of  all  the  roads  and  paths  leading  to  the  Celestial 
City.  Therefore,  he  drew  his  tinder  box  from  his  pocket 
and  struck  a  light,  that  he  might  look  at  the  map.  He 
looked,  and  when  he  had  found  the  place,  he  saw  written 
over  against  it  the  words, 

"Keep   to   the  right." 

So  now  he  knew  which  way  to  turn.  But  if  he  had 
not  looked  at  the  map,  he  would  have  taken  the  broader 
road  and  turned  to  the  left,  and  all  would  have  been 
smothered  in  the  deep  mud. 

They  went  on,  then,  in  this  Enchanted  Ground  till 
they  were  well  out  of  the  darkness.  And  at  length 
they  came  to  another  enticing  bower  built  close  by 
the  roadside. 

There  they  saw  two  men  lying,  whose  names  were 
Heedless  and  Too-bold. 

These  men  were  fast  asleep  with  their  heads  pillowed 


IN   PERIL   IN    THE   ENCHANTED   GROUND        189 

on  couches  of  moss  and  leaves.  Greatheart  and  the 
pilgrims  stood  still  and  looked  at  them ;  and  some 
shook  their  heads,  not  knowing  what  to  do. 

Then  Mercy  and  Greatheart  went  to  them  to  awaken 
them ;  that  is,  if  they  could.  But  each  cautioned  the 
other  not  to  sit  down  or  recline  upon  the  tempting 
couches  in  the  arbor,  lest  they  too  should  in  like  man- 
ner fall  asleep. 

They  spoke  to  the  men.  They  called  them  by  name. 
There  was  no  answer.  Then  Greatheart  shook  them 
hard,  and  did  what  he  could  to  arouse  them.  Heedless 
groaned  and  opened  his  eyes  a  little. 

"  I  will  pay  you  when  I  get  my  money,"  he  muttered ; 
and  with  that  he  turned  over  and  was  fast  asleep  again. 

Then  Greatheart  shook  the  other  one,  whose  name 
was  Too-bold.  He  did  not  even  so  much  as  move; 
but  he  stammered,  "  I'll  fight  so  long  as  I  can  hold  my 
sword  in  my  hand." 

At  this,  one  of  the  children  laughed ;  but  the  guide 
looked  sorrowful. 

"What  does  all  this  mean?"  asked  Christiana. 

"They  talk  in  their  sleep,"  answered  Greatheart. 
"But  no  man  can  rouse  them  from  this  sleep.  We 
have  done  what  we  could." 


'They  caught  Glimpses  of  a  Tall  and  Beautiful  Lady" 


190 


IN   PERIL   IX    THE    ENCHANTED   GROUND  191 

So  now  all  desired  to  go  onward,  lest  they  too  should 
be  overcome.  And  as  the  way  was  growing  darker, 
they  begged  the  guide  to  strike  a  light.  He  therefore 
took  his  tinder  box  again,  and  lighted  a  little  lantern 
which  he  had  with  him ;  and  so  they  were  helped  on 
their  way. 

The  children  began  soon  to  be  sorely  weary;  and 
they  cried  unto  the  friend  of  pilgrims  to  make  their 
way  more  comfortable.  And  behold,  by  the  time  they 
had  gone  a  little  farther,  a  wind  arose  that  scattered 
the  darkness ;  and  the  air  became  more  clear.  Then 
they  went  on  to  the  borders  of  the  Enchanted 
Ground. 

At  one  place  they  caught  glimpses  of  a  tall  and  beau- 
tiful lady  who  flitted  hither  and  thither  in  the  shadowy 
bowers.  She  beckoned  to  them,  but  would  not  come 
near.     She  called,  and  her  voice  was  soft  and  sweet. 

They  saw  that  she  was  clad  in  beautiful  garments, 
and  she  wore  a  large  purse  by  her  side.  In  this  purse 
she  kept  one  hand,  fingering  her  money,  which  was  her 
heart's  delight. 

"Oh,  see  the  beautiful  lady!"  cried  the  little  boy. 
"Let  us  go  to  her,  and  rest  in  one  of  her  bowers."  And 
he  began  to  run  joyfully  towards  her. 


192  JOHN   BUNYAN'S  DREAM   STORY 

"Nay,  look  not  at  her  face,  heed  not  her  call,"  said 
the  guide.  "  She  is  the  queen  of  this  Enchanted  Ground, 
and  her  name  is  Madam  Bubble.  Whoever  goes  into 
one  of  her  bowers  will  never  come  out  again.  Let  us 
hasten  away  from  her  enchantments!" 

So  they  went  forward,  hand  in  hand,  and  were  soon 
safely  out  of  the  Enchanted  Ground. 


REST   IN  THE   LAND   OF  BEULAH 


NOW  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  Greatheart  led  the  pil- 
grims onward  till  they  came  to  the  Land  of  Beulah, 
where  the  sun  shines  day  and  night.  Here,  because 
they  were  weary,  they  betook  themselves  awhile  to  rest. 

They  sat  under  the  sheltering  vines  and  walked  in 
the  pleasant  orchards.  And  they  partook  of  the  fruit 
as  they  had  a  mind  therefor ;  for  everything  belonged 
to  the  King  of  the  Celestial  Land,  and  he  desired  that 
all  pilgrims  should  partake  of  his  bounty. 

But  here  the  bells  did  so  ring,  and  the  trumpets 
sounded  so  sweetly,  that  they  could  not  sleep;  yet 
they  were  as  much  refreshed  as  though  they  had  slum- 
bered peacefully. 

Here,  every  little  while,  the  cry  was  heard,  "More 
pilgrims  have  arrived  in  the  land." 

DREAM   STORY  —  13  193 


194  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

And  the  answer  would  be  trumpeted  back,  "Many- 
went  over  the  water  to-day,  and  were  let  in  at  the 
golden  gates." 

At  length  Christiana  and  her  children,  being  much 
refreshed,  went  a  little  farther  on  their  way.  And  now 
their  ears  were  filled  with  heavenly  sounds,  and  their 
eyes  were  delighted  with  celestial  visions.  In  this 
place  they  heard  nothing,  saw  nothing,  smelled  nothing, 
tasted  nothing,  but  what  was  pleasing  to  their  hearts 
and  minds. 

In  this  place  the  children  went  freely  into  the  King's 
gardens  and  gathered  sweet-smelling  flowers.  Here  also 
grew  all  kinds  of  trees  that  are  precious  for  their 
perfumes  and  their  spices.  So  the  rooms  of  the  pil- 
grims, while  they  stayed  there,  lacked  nothing  for 
fragrance  and  beauty.  And  they  bathed  and  anointed 
themselves,  and  kept  themselves  in  readiness  for  the 
call  to  go  over  the  river. 

Now,  one  day,  as  they  were  waiting  for  the  good  hour, 
a  sound  was  heard  as  of  music  and  voices.  And  some 
one  who  was  watching  cried,  "A  postman  has  come 
from  the  Celestial  City  with  matter  of  great  impor- 
tance for  Christiana." 


REST   IN   THE    LAND   OF   BEULAH  105 

She,  therefore,  went  to  the  door  to  see  what  it  was. 
The  postman  greeted  her,  and  gave  her  the  letter;  and 
when  she  had  broken  the  seal,  she  opened  and 
read  it : 

"Hail,  good  woman!  I  bring  thee  tidings  that  the 
Master  calls  thee.  Within  these  ten  days,  he  expects 
thee  to  come  and  stand  before  him,  clothed  in  garments  of 
immortality." 

When  Christiana  had  read  the  letter,  and  knew  that 
her  time  was  come,  she  called  for  Greatheart,  the 
guide,  and  told  him  how  matters  were. 

He  answered  that  he  was  heartily  glad  of  her  good 
fortune,  and  that  he  would  have  been  even  more  glad 
had  the  summons  come  for  himself. 

Then  she  asked  how  she  should  prepare  for  her 
journey,  and  what  she  should  do  while  crossing  the 
river. 

Very  kindly  he  told  her,  saying,  "Thus  and  thus  it 
must  be ;  and  we  that  are  left  behind  will  go  with  you 
to  the  river  side." 

She  called  for  her  children  and  gave  them  her  bless- 
ing. She  told  them  how  glad  she  was  that  they  had 
kept  their  garments  so  white ;  and  she  cautioned  them 
to  be  always  faithful,  waiting  for  the  summons  to  go 


196  JOHN   BUNYAN'S   DREAM   STORY 

onward   into   the   city.     "Be   ye   watchful,   and   cast 
away  fear;  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end." 

Now,  at  length,  the  day  came  on  which  Christiana 
must  be  gone.  The  road  was  full  of  people  to  see  her 
take  her  journey ;  and  the  bank  on  the  farther  side  of 
the  river  was  crowded  with  chariots  and  Shining  Ones 
that  had  come  to  accompany  her  to  the  gates  of  the 
Celestial  City. 

So  she  came  forth  joyfully,  and  entered  the  river ;  and 
as  she  did  so,  she  beckoned  farewell  to  her  children  and 
friends  who  were  left  behind.  And  the  last  words 
which  they  heard  her  speak  were,  "Lord,  I  come  to  be 
with  thee." 

Then  when  she  had  gone  out  of  their,  sight,  her 
children  returned  to  their  place.  They  returned  weep- 
ing, but  Greatheart  and  some  others  that  were  with  them 
played  upon  the  cymbal  and  the  well-tuned  harp  of  joy. 
And  Christiana,  with  the  host  of  Shining  Ones,  went 
up  to  the  Celestial  City.  She  called  at  the  gate,  and 
entered  with  all  the  ceremonies  of  joy  that  had  greeted 
her  husband  before  her. 

Glorious  indeed  it  was  to  see  how  the  open  region 
was  filled  with  horses  and  chariots,  with  trumpeters  and 
pipers,  with  singers  and  players  on  stringed  instru- 


REST   IN   THE   LAND   OF   BEULAH  197 

ments.  These  all  welcomed  her  as  she  passed  through 
the  gate  beautiful ;  and  while  her  children  wept  on 
this  side  of  the  river,  she  was  received  with  songs  of 
triumph  in  the  palace  of  the  King. 

And  as  I  looked  and  listened,  I  awoke ;  and,  behold, 
this  too  was  a  dream. 


ENVOY 

Now  may  this  little  book  a  blessing  be 
To  those  who  love  this  little  book  and  me, 
And  may  its  buyer  have  no  cause  to  say, 
His  money  is  but  lost  or  thrown  away; 

Yea,  may  this  Second  Pilgrim  yield  that  fruit, 
As  may  with  each  good  Pilgrim's  fancy  suit; 
And  may  it  persuade  some  that  go  astray, 
To  turn  their  feet  and  heart  to  the  right  way, 
Is  the  hearty  prayer  of 
The  Author, 

—  John  Bunyan. 


198 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA      000  214  075    4 


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